§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present establishment for the police force for Liverpool; to what extent it is below established strength; and what steps are being taken by his Department in co-operation with the Merseyside Police Authority to strengthen it.
§ Dr. SummerskillOn 14th April the Strength of the five territorial divisions in Liverpool was 212 below an establishment of 1,691. £10,000 has been made available by the Merseyside Police Authority for local force recruitment purposes during 1975–76. There is an active recruitment campaign, which includes 253W regular visits to Catterick and Aldershot to encourage those leaving the Army to join the force and a film dealing with opportunities for graduates in the police service. The force is taking part in an investigation, organised by the Central Office of Information, to determine why some potential candidates fail to follow up preliminary applications.
The force also benefits from the national recruiting campaign, for which over £750,000 is being made available during 1975–76.