§ 2.45 p.m.
§ Lord GRIDLEYMy 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, in view of the increase in crime in all categories, and the overall deficiency of 5,208 officers of the Metropolitan Police for the year 1975, as stated in the Report of the Commissioner of Police to the Home Secretary (Cmnd. 6496, June 1976), what steps are being taken to bring the force up to approved strength.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Harris of Greenwich)My Lords, the actual number of vacancies in the Metropolitan Police on 31st December 1975 was 5,401. I am glad to say that by 30th June 1976 the vacancies had been reduced by 489 to 4,912. In all, 992 recruits joined the force during the first six months of this year. The training arrangements have been expanded, and the force is now taking in as many recruits as it can absorb. The strength of the Metropolitan Police is now the highest in the history of the force.
§ Lord GRIDLEYMy Lords, while thanking the Minister for that somewhat reassuring reply, may I nevertheless put a point to him and ask this question? Could the Minister say whether the approved strength of the Metropolitan Police Force is a policy matter which has been agreed, say, between the Commissioner of Police and the Home Secretary based on a judgment of what is necessary to maintain law and order in any foreseeable contingency which might arise? Therefore, in the circumstances of the reply which the noble Lord has given me, is he satisfied that, although the force will not be right up to strength, they have the number required to deal with any contingency in any breakdown which might occur in the foreseeable future? Can the noble Lord give some assurance on that?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, the Commissioner is aware that he can recruit up to his establishment, and that position remains after the current review of public expenditure announced by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer last week. I think the answer to the second question is, "Yes".
§ Lord SLATERMy Lords, can my noble friend state how many police 1036 authorities have reached their establishment against that of the Metropolitan Police? What is the disparity between the two?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, the manpower problem in London is by far the most serious, but, having said that, it is right to acknowledge that there has been a similar difficult problem in all the major conurbations. I think the London problem has been recognised by my right honourable friend and by his predecessors as by far the most single difficult problem facing the Police Service in this country, but it is also right to say that in 1975 we have been through one of our best years for police recruitment. There was a net gain of over 5,000 men and women last year, and a very substantial number of forces are now as near as it is possible to be up to their establishment.
Viscount ST. DAVIDSMy Lords, can the noble Lord help us and make the matter a little clearer by giving us, perhaps, the percentage of the shortfall of membership of the Metropolitan Police? If he has not got that information to hand, can he tell us the total of establishment so that we can work it out for ourselves, in order to see just how serious this shortage is?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, I indicated in my original Answer the shortfall which remained in the Metropolitan Police. Referring to the situation on 30th June of this year, I said that the number of vacancies had been reduced in the first six months of this year by 489 to 4,912. That is the situation. My knowledge of mathematics is, I regret to say, so sketchy that I dare not make an "off the cuff" calculation on a percentage basis.