§ Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department maintains any central record of assaults on police officers in England and Wales.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggInformation is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", (supplementary tables volumes 1 and 11) copies of which are in the Library, of assaults on police officers which result in proceedings for that specific offence.
§ Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police forces in England and Wales are required to maintain records of assaults on police officers; and in what format.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThere is no requirement for police forces to maintain records of assaults on police officers. The majority of forces do keep such records though in differing formats, and HMCI constabulary is now considering with ACPO the possibility of standardising recording practice.
§ Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Metropolitan police officers were assaulted in the execution of their duty in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the number of Metropolitan police officers recorded by the force as having been assaulted in the execution of their duty in each of the last five years was as follows:
Number 1987 4,534 1986 3,400 1985 3,009 1984 2,765 1983 3,150