§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many medical practitioners are employed by the Metropolitan Police to make periodic visits to police stations for the purpose of examining persons under arrest and detained in cells; how many visits they make on average each week or month; and what is the approximate sum of public money disbursed for this purpose.
§ Mr. WhitelawI understand from the Commissioner that 83 doctors are employed part-time as police surgeons by the Metropolitan Police for a variety of purposes, including the examination where appropriate, of arrested persons. Records of visits are kept locally, and considerable analysis would be required to identify the numbers of visits for particular purposes. The total cost of employing police surgeons was some £664,000 in 1978–79.