HC Deb 25 April 1996 vol 276 cc579-80
11. Mr. Benton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much he plans to increase the revenue finance for police forces in England and Wales in each of the next three years in order to increase by 5,000 the number of police officers. [25047]

Mr. Maclean

Police authorities will receive an extra £20 million this financial year, £60 million more in 1997–98 and £100 million more in 1998–99. That will enable them to recruit 5,000 additional police constables over that period

Mr. Benton

Is the Minister aware of the early-day motion tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Garston (Mr. Loyden), drawing attention to the increasing level of violence and use of firearms on Merseyside? Is he also aware that under the constraints imposed by the Government, Merseyside fire authority—this year, not in three years' time—will have to reduce its officer numbers by 130? How will the Merseyside authority cope with the increased levels of crime? Will the Minister put the elderly people and other vulnerable groups on Merseyside at ease with some statement of comfort, and will he agree to meet a delegation from the Merseyside police authority?

Mr. Maclean

People on Merseyside might be put more at ease if the authority did not waste hundreds of thousands of pounds on leaflets claiming that its budget will be cut by £19 million when in fact it received an increase of £8 million or 5.1 per cent. this financial year. I would be more impressed by the hon. Gentleman if he quoted from the latest Audit Commission report which shows, among other things, that Merseyside has almost 50 per cent. more money per head of population to tackle crime than the average police force. As a result of all that extra money, Merseyside has 50 per cent. more bobbies available for ordinary duty than the average police force. I should be delighted to meet a delegation from Merseyside on any occasion to remind it of the success of that force in that regard.

Mr. Dunn

Is the Minister satisfied that the police establishment of the county of Kent is sufficient to deal with all the manifestations of the channel tunnel rail link, in view of the huge increase in traffic moving through the county from the north to the coast and from there to Europe?

Mr. Maclean

Yes, I am. We no longer set establishments, but in view of the generous funding that all forces, including Kent, have received and the success that Kent police have had in tackling all aspects of crime, I am satisfied that Kent's excellent chief constable will be able to deploy the resources that we have given him in the most effective way to tackle any problems arising from the channel tunnel and any other problems of crime in his county.

Mr. Barnes

When will sufficient resources be given to the police in Derbyshire so that they can secure the return of their certificate of competence? Why is that force still suffering as a result of a past policy of civilianisation when that policy is now recommended by the Home Office?

Mr. Maclean

I will tell the House what Derbyshire is suffering from: it is suffering from a legacy of Labour control in Derbyshire in the mid-1980s—from Bookbinder and hostile Labour councillors who hated the police and did everything to do them down. Derbyshire's success is improving because the Tory Government have given more money to Derbyshire than its Labour council in the 1980s took away from it. Derbyshire will get about 5 per cent. more this year. It has had generous capital funding and if Labour councillors in the past had shown some respect for their county force, it would not have its problems.