§ 3.11 p.m.
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what their policy is towards the recruiting of police cadets.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, HOME OFFICE (LORD STONHAM)My Lords, it is in the first instance for the police authority and chief officer of police to decide, in each force, how many cadets should be appointed, but it is the firm policy of Her Majesty's Government to encourage the recruitment of cadets, subject only to the proviso that not more than about half the serving members of a force should be former cadets.
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. I am sorry that it is not quite the same as the reply he gave to a supplementary question which I asked a fortnight ago, because this new Answer indicates that he is not following the satisfactory policy which we were led to suppose from his original Answer. Would not the noble Lord agree that if money is short for the training of policemen, it would be more sensible to spend it on those who are most likely to stay in the service?
§ LORD STONHAMYes, my Lords. But the figures of wastage do not bear out the noble Lord's hypothesis. The number of cadets who leave after attestation is 12½per cent., whereas the number who leave before attestation is 14 per cent.; that is, a total of 27 per cent. The percentage of wastage on direct entrants is only 23½ per cent. Financially, at least, there appears to be no difference in the matter.