§ Mr. TouhigTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current average cost of recruiting, training and equipping a special constable. [28205]
§ Mr. MacleanIt is not, so far, common practice for force finance departments to maintain separate records of expenditure for special constabulary activities. In general, these costs are absorbed into the operating costs of the regular force and borne by the police fund. Therefore, it is not possible to give accurate average costs.
Costs will also vary according to the type of equipment favoured by each force, and the different combinations of regular officers, civilian staff and special constables involved in recruitment, training and administration.
As a rough guide, it has been estimated that a special constable will cost his or her force some £1,500 in the first year to recruit, train and equip: thereafter, the annual cost is about £500.
§ Mr. TouhigTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the name of the special constabulary. [28203]
§ Mr. MacleanThere are no plans to do so. The special constabulary is a generic name for the 43 special constabularies of England and Wales.