§ Mr. Rees-Daviesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding the use of the computer installed to assist criminal investigation in the Metropolitan Police Force; and whether he is satisfied with its working.
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§ Mr. CarlisleNo computer has been installed specifically for this purpose. The police national computer, which is designed to assist police work, including criminal investigation, by giving the police over the whole country immediate access to central records, is being installed and will become operational for some records within the next 12 months.
§ Mr. Rees-Daviesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he is now satisfied with the provision of secretarial and civilian assistance for those engaged in criminal investigation in the Metropolitan Police; and how many civilian staff are at present employed in the Criminal Investigation Department in respective classes;
(2) whether he is satisfied with the recruitment to the Metropolitan Police Force in connection with the work of the Fraud Squad in securing specially qualified persons regardless of age, including accountants, to assist the Fraud Squad in criminal investigation.
§ Mr. CarlisleThere are 988 civilian staff in executive, clerical, typing and ancillary classes employed in the Criminal Investigation Department and 566 specialist staff including fingerprint officers, photographers, scientists and scenes of crime officers. This complement is regularly reviewed; it represents an increase of about 20 per cent. over the last two years. As regards specially qualified people, the arrangement—which appears to be satisfactory—is that the Fraud Squad calls for such services as necessary.