HC Deb 14 March 1980 vol 980 cc736-7W
Mr. Meacher

asked the Attorney-General how many complaints made against the police have been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions in each of the last three years; and in how many of these cases in each year the Director sought further information from the police to supplement the police report which he had already been sent.

The Attorney-General

The number of complaint files, each of which may contain more than one complaint against a police officer or police officers, opened by the Director in the last three years is:

1977 9,068
1978 8,951
1979 8,801

The cost of checking each of these 26,820 files to ascertain whether the Director requested further information would be incommensurate with the value of such an exercise.

Mr. Meacher

asked the Attorney-General how many complaints, in the light of the recent Lannon case, have been made in each year since 1970 alleging assault by the police against a person in police custody who later died after a period following release from custody.

The Attorney-General

I refer the hon. Member to the last sentence of my answer to him of 12 March 1980.