§ Mr. Charles Morrisonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of university 391W graduates at present serving in the police forces of England and Wales, analysing the figure to show the number of graduates in each rank in each police force.
§ Mr. George ThomasI regret that this information is not available centrally in this form. I am having it collected and will write to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Goodhewasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for increasing the number of graduates in the police forces of England and Wales.
§ Mr. George ThomasIn order to make more widely known the attractions of a police career to those of good education, an additional staff officer to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary has recently been appointed to maintain contact with universities and schools, and to co-ordinate and encourage local liaison between individual universities and the police; an illustrated booklet will shortly be circulated to supplement the written information already sent to all university appointments boards; representatives of university appointments boards will be invited to visit the Police College at Bramshill; and the national police recruitment campaign will continue to include advertisements directed particularly at undergraduates, sixth-formers and their parents and careers advisers. Other steps are under consideration for following up the initial contacts made.
Three police officers selected from those who had done especially well on the Special Course at the Police College are at present reading for degrees in law at University College, London. Five places will be available this autumn at University College, and three at the London School of Economics, to officers selected in the same way. My right hon. and learned Friend hopes to extend this Bramshill scholarship scheme to other universities and colleges. He is also considering, in consultation with the other interested bodies, whether a standard practice might be recommended as regards the circumstances in which individual police authorities might reimburse some of the expenses incurred by officers studying in their own time.
§ Sir G. Sinclairasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is 392W the maximum rate of pay of a university graduate on joining the Metropolitan Police; and what is the minimum period before he could be promoted from the rank of police constable.
§ Mr. George ThomasThe answer to the first part of the Question is, if under 22, £700 a year; if 22 or over £800 a year; in both cases plus £20 London allowance and free accommodation or rent allowance. The answer to the second part is four years in the normal case, or a few months less in the case of officers selected for the Special Course at the Police College, who receive temporary promotion on joining the course.