§ Mr. Russellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the normal establishment of X Division of the Metropolitan Police; what was the actual strength at the latest convenient date and on the same date in 1949, 1948, 1947 and 1946; and how many men resigned from the division or asked to be transferred 48W from it during 1949 owing to Jack of suitable housing accommodation.
§ Mr. EdeThe establishment of the division is 989 men; the strength on 28th May, 1950, was 918, the strength on corresponding dates in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949 respectively being 648 plus 48 re-engaged pensioners and auxiliaries, 743 plus 39 pensioners and auxiliaries, 799 plus 17 pensioners and auxiliaries, and 896. During 1949 six men resigned, 16 were transferred to other divisions and eight were allowed to transfer to provincial forces owing to lack of suitable housing accommodation, but all these losses were made good by transferring to the division men for whom accommodation was available.
§ Mr. Russellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many indictable offences were reported in X Division of the Metropolitan Police in 1938 and each of the years 1945 to 1949 inclusive; and how many convictions were obtained in respect of these offences.
§ Mr. EdeThe following table shows the number of indictable offences which came to the notice of the police in X Division of the Metropolitan Police District in 1938 and in 1945 to 1949, together with the number of offences which were cleared up by arrest and the number of persons who were arrested for such offences:
Year Number of indictable offences known to police Number cleared up by arrest Number of persons arrested for indictable offences 1938 … 7,677 1,609 1,521 1945 … 9,152 1,991 1,648 1946 … 9,955 2,129 1,705 1947 … 9,985 2,061 1,740 1948 … 10,452 2,143 1,843 1949 … 9,188 2,164 1,651 No separate figues are available for convictions in respect of cases arising in X Division, but in 1949 90 per cent. of the persons arrested for indictable offences in the Metropolitan Police District as a whole were convicted, the percentage in the other years being similar, and I have no reason for thinking that the position in X Division in 1949 or in earlier years was exceptional.