§ Sir John WheelerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to change the arrangements for inspection of provincial police forces by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerYes. I have decided that, from January 1991, the 42 provincial forces, including the City of London police, inspected annually by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary under the Police Act 1964, will normally be subject to primary inspections once every two years and intermediate inspections every other year. Primary inspections will cover the present full range of issues; intermediate inspections will involve similar procedures but will concentrate on selected issues in greater depth. Reports on all 42 forces will continue to be published each year and will contain details of any thematic inspections (ie of a particular subject area across a number of forces) relevant to the force in question. The aim of the changes is greater flexibility to concentrate Her Majesty's inspectorate's efforts where they are most needed. Chief constables and local police authorities are being told of these changes.