§ 1. Andrew Selous (South-West Bedfordshir)What recent representations he has received about the retention of police officers in police forces near London. [104106]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Bob Ainsworth)We have received letters from hon. Members, chief constables, police authorities, the Police Federation and members of the public about retention in London and the south-east. Since the autumn, we have been working with chief constables and police authorities to develop practical solutions. As a result, on 13 March we announced a package of measures to address the problems, which was 2 welcomed by the consortium of London and south-east forces, and we will monitor the effectiveness of those measures.
§ Andrew SelousI thank the Minister for that reply. Does he accept, however, that for far too long the Metropolitan police's recruitment problems have been solved by taking officers from neighbouring forces? Police officers in Bedfordshire receive around £6,000 more if they transfer to the Met, as well as free travel within 70 miles of Charing Cross. Will the Minister undertake to consider reviewing the London weighting or the regional allowances to forces such as Bedfordshire?
§ Mr. AinsworthI would not seek to minimise the problems suffered by the hon. Gentleman's force, but the allegation that he throws at the Met is not as simple as he suggests. Between April 2002 and February this year, the Met took on 2,631 new recruits. There was a big transfer into the Met, but many officers transferred out too. Yes, we need solutions, and there are other options that we can consider in order to help the hon. Gentleman's force, but he should accept that the problems are caused by the substantial increase in recruitment to the police service that is taking place across the country.
§ Margaret Moran (Luton, South)Does my hon. Friend accept that there are problems in Bedfordshire and Luton? Is he aware that Luton police say that the problem centres not on a need for additional money, but on retention? Will he consider how we might, for example, instigate a transfer fee to ensure that police recruits who are trained in Luton and Bedfordshire are retained in our area, or to ensure that if they move to other areas, we receive compensation so that we can swiftly replace experienced police officers?
§ Mr. AinsworthWe would be prepared to consider my hon. Friend's proposal, as well as any others, as we try to find a solution, but we do not want to prevent 3 transfers, because they can be positive in enabling the transference of knowledge between police forces. We are considering other options to do with whether we should extend the special priority payment scheme to more officers in south-east forces to help with retention. We will take my hon. Friend's comments on board as we consider ways to deal with this difficult problem, which has been thrown up while we are in the process of substantially increasing recruitment to the police service.
§ Mr. James Paice (South-East Cambridgeshire)I am sure that the Minister realises that the problem is not just money—there are retention problems in forces around London and elsewhere—but morale. When will the Government do something to boost police morale and allow officers to get on with the job by reducing the bureaucracy and paperwork that face them? I have here a complete file of 25 forms that have to be filled in for the simplest arrest, then photocopied six times. When will the Government deliver on their rhetoric and reduce paperwork, which has not been changed at all for several years despite all the talk about reduction?
§ Mr. AinsworthThe hon. Gentleman is right to say that we need to do everything we can to try to reduce police bureaucracy. Some measures that we implemented through the Police Reform Act 2002, which was opposed in part by the hon. Gentleman and his hon. Friends—
§ Mr. AinsworthBut the hon. Gentleman opposed the very measures designed to make our police service more effective at the front line. He knows that to be true.
We are considering how we can improve the effectiveness of the police service by providing it with a range of tools—for example, an increased range of fixed penalty notices—and we should be able to expect a more positive response from Conservative Front Benchers in developing those proposals.