§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) special constables there were in the north Wales police force for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe information is as follows:
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North Wales Police On 31 December Police Strength Special Constables 1976 1,238 586 1977 1,239 550 1978 1,251 219 1979 1,271 421 1980 1,290 256 1981 1,288 193 1982 1,303 164
On 31 December Police Strength Special Constables 1983 1,275 201 1984 1,281 200 1985 1,251 215 Between December 1982 and December 1985 the strength of the north Wales police dropped by 52 but civilian staff numbers increased by 73. Thirty-seven additional police posts have been approved for the force since May 1979; the police establishment is currently 1,316, and police strength on 30 April 1986 was 1,261.