HC Deb 22 December 1997 vol 303 cc649-50
9. Mr. Allan

What was the total number of police officers in England and Wales in (a) April 1992, (b) March 1997 and (c) September 1997. [20165]

Mr. Michael

There were 127,760 police officers in. April 1992. By March 1997, the number had fallen to 127,158; by September, it had fallen again to 126,798. That is a fall of 962 over a five-year period.

Mr. Allan

I note that the Labour party was crafty enough not to give any specific figures for police numbers in its election manifesto, although it spent plenty of time attacking the Conservative Government for the falls that they had brought about.

Is not the Minister concerned about the fact that the Association of Police Authorities believes that his increased settlements for next year will be all but swallowed up in increased salary and pension costs for existing staff? That view is shared by my authority, South Yorkshire, which predicts staff cuts in the face of a 3.8 per cent. increase. Is not the Minister concerned about the fact that that means that next year's settlement will do nothing to reverse the trend of falling numbers?

Mr. Michael

First, ours was an honest response. At the time of the 1992 election, the Conservative party promised an increase of 1,000 in 12 months, but it did not increase the number of police officers by 1,000; it cut the number by 1,000 over five years. Secondly, we did not give figures relating to the number of police officers because, in the Police and Magistrates Courts Act 1994, the Conservative party removed that responsibility from Government, and made it the responsibility of chief constables to decide how many police officers they should employ within the available resources.

In the coming year, police officers in England and Wales will receive an increase in spending power of £258 million. That takes the figure up to £7.15 billion, and represents a 3.7 per cent. increase on the current year. I think that it is a pretty good settlement in the circumstances.

Ms Beverley Hughes

Does my hon. Friend agree that the fall in the number of police officers contrasts starkly with the previous Government's promise to provide thousands of extra officers? Does he further agree that this year's settlement allows police authorities to take some steps towards redressing the imbalance? Is he aware that the absence of police officers on the streets in many parts of the country—including my constituency, where, on estates such as Partington, people are struggling to deal with the consequences of crime—leaves people feeling entirely unprotected?

Mr. Michael

My hon. Friend is right. The party opposite—I mean the Conservative party: I should be as precise as the Liberal Democrats would wish me to be—promised to increase police numbers in 1992, failed to do so, and then increased its promise, with no intention of delivering, in the run-up to the election.

The increase in numbers gives chief constables and police authorities resources to increase the amount of work that they do, both directly and with partners such as local authorities, in attempting to cut crime. That is our aspiration—not to put up with the increased crime that we have seen in recent years, but to see a reduction in crime and an increase in the safety of people in their homes and on the streets year on year.

Mr. Greenway

Contrary to what the Minister has just said, chief constables throughout the country—from Wales to Cumbria and the south of England—are already saying, locally and to the press, that they will be forced to employ fewer officers over the next year as a result of the police financial settlement. That is in spite of an increase in the contribution from council tax payers. How many chief constables have suggested to the Minister that a cut in manpower is likely?

There is a common thread: the rural areas are worst affected. Is not this just another example of the Government's blatant disregard for rural interests?

Mr. Michael

That is a pretty desperate attempt by the hon. Gentleman. He asked me specifically how many police constables said that they were about to cut police numbers in the coming year. The answer is none.