§ 16. Mr. HainTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the percentage change in crime and the increase in police officers in south Wales since 1979.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThe number of offences recorded in south Wales increased by 132 per cent. between 1979 and 1993. At the end of February 1994, the actual number of police officers in post had increased by 188.
§ Mr. HainIs the Minister aware that some £40 million of the Home Office's allocation to South Wales police authority has been nicked by the Welsh Office on its way to the authority, which has been underfunded by that amount for the past six years? Does he realise that that is having a devastating impact on local policing? Crime has soared by 135 per cent. since 1979, when the Minister's Government came to power.
§ Mr. WardleThe hon. Gentleman must be aware that the financial difficulties faced by South Wales police authority emanate from inaccurate budgeting, which deprived the South Wales police force of £2 million last year. In addition, the chief constable had asked for an extra 8 per cent; he was given 2 per cent.
Centrally funded grant provision for this year would have allowed a further 5.5 per cent. increase in spending. If the South Wales police authority had matched that amount, a further £5 million would have been available, at a cost of £800,000 to each of the three Glamorgan county councils, whose total aggregate spending is £900 million, but the authority did not do that—it provided 1.75 per cent.