§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the current authorised establishment of the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary; what is its actual strength, rank by rank, at the latest available date; if he will list, year by year, annual expenditure on the AEA Constabulary since 1976; what is the projected annual expenditure for the new financial year; if he will list the sites in the United Kingdom at which the AEA Constabulary maintains full-time duty; what is the current pay structure for members of the AEA Constabulary; and how this compares with pay for Home Office police forces;
(2) how many disciplinary cases involving members of the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary have been dealt with and with what outcome, year by year, since 1976; and how many complaints have been made and with what outcome, year by year, against members of the AEA Constabulary since 1976;
(3) what proportion of the current strength of the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary are trained to use firearms; how long their initial training is; and how frequently, and for how long, they receive refresher training;
(4) on how many occasions, year by year since 1976, firearms have been issued to officers of the Atomic Energy 313W Authority Constabulary for off-site duties; how many times, year by year since 1976, firearms have been fired; and on how many occasions since 1976 officers of the AEA Constabulary reported the criminal use or possession of firearms in connection with any of their duties;
(5) whether the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary is equipped with CS gas; if so, how many officers are training to use it; how they are trained; whether it has ever been used operationally; and what operational advice is given regarding its use;
(6) how many offences have been reported and cleared up by the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary, year by year since 1976, offence group by offence group;
(7) why the annual report of the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary chief constable is not made publicly available.
§ Mr. David HowellThe AEAC maintains full-time duty at the UKAEA establishments at Dounreay, Harwell, Risley, Winfrith and the London headquarters; the BNFL establishments at Capenhurst, Chapelcross, Springfields and Windscale; and the URENCO premises at Marlow. The AEAC's current strength is 586 and its complement 614. The annual expenditure since 1976 is as follows:
£ million 1976–77 2 1977–78 2.5 1978–79 2.8 1979–80 4.4 1980–81 6.2 The predicted expenditure for 1981–82 is £6.5 million. Under the chief constable and a deputy chief constable, the AEAC comprises the ranks of superintendent, chief inspector, inspector, sergeant, and constable, each of which has an incremental scale related to years of service in the rank. The pay and conditions of the AEAC, along with those of other non Home Department police forces were considered by a committee of inquiry appointed by the Lord President of the Council. Its report was published as Cmnd. 7623 in July 1979. It recommended that the pay relativity of the Ministry of Defence police with Home Department forces should, in general, be set at a figure of 95 per cent.; and a long and established pay link with the
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1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 Reported Cleared up Reported Cleared up Reported Cleared up Reported Cleared up Reported Cleared up Offences against the person 2 2 1 — 3 3 — — — — Offences against property with violence 29 3 22 6 3 — 9 2 3 — Offences against property without violence 276 111 309 97 417 171 336 129 460 185 Malicious injuries to property 30 19 12 4 12 5 16 1 16 2 Forgery and offences against the currency 3 3 3 — 3 3 9 8 1 1 Other offences not included in above classes — — 1 1 5 2 4 1 3 1 Total 340 138 348 108 443 184 374 141 483 189 Ministry of Defence police was still appropriate and should continue. These recommendations were implemented.
The number of disciplinary cases involving members of the AEAC and the number of complaints against members of the AEAC were as follows:
Disciplinary Cases Outcome Year No. 4 reprimands, 1 loss of pay 1976 5 2 reprimands 1977 2 6 reprimands, 1 loss of pay 1 dismissal 1978 8 4 reprimands, 2 cautions 1979 2 cautions 4 reprimands, 1 caution, 2 loss of pay 1980 7
Complaints Outcome Year No. 1 complaint withdrawn 1976 1 1 complaint not substantiated, 2 officers warned about future conduct 1977 3 1 complaint withdrawn, 1 complaint not substantiated, 3 officers disciplined 1978 5 2 complaints withdrawn, 2 officers disciplined 1979 4 1 complaint withdrawn, 2 complaints not substantiated, 3 officers disciplined 1980 6 The AEAC exists to police and protect establishments and materials and it would not be in the national interest to give detailed information about its resources or its training to use them. Not all constables are armed. Constables carry firearms when they are on duties related to guarding special nuclear materials on sites or in transit. The only occasions on which firearms have been fired have been during firearms training. The initial training course lasts five days and each trained officer attends refresher courses, of two days' duration on a continuing basis at intervals not exceeding four months. The AEAC has had no occasion to report the criminal use or possession of firearms. AEAC detachments are not equipped with CS gas, but officers are trained in its effects.
The annual report of the chief constable is a classified document. The numbers of offences reported and cleared up by the AEAC since 1976 are given in the following table: