§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police force, on 31 March; if he will list the change in numbers in each force and in total from(a) 30 September 1997 and (b) 31 March 1997; and if he will make a statement. [39477]
§ Mr. MichaelInformation on police numbers at 31 March 1998 is not yet available. The table sets out police numbers in each force at 31 March and 30 September 1997 along with the change during that period.
Ministers have no direct control over police numbers. Under legislation passed by the previous Government in 1994, it is for individual chief constables to determine the number of police officers in their force area, within the resources available to them.
704W
Police strength for ordinary duty Police force Total ranks as at 30 september 19971 Total ranks as at 31 March 19971 Change in numbers Avon and Somerset 2,973 2,989 -16 Bedfordshire 1,081 1,094 -13 Cambridgeshire 1,292 1,302 -10 Cheshire 2,029 2,046 -16 City of London 836 859 -23 Cleveland 1,481 1,459 21 Cumbria 1,162 1,144 19 Derbyshire 1,757 1,791 -34 Devon and Cornwall 2,910 2,865 46 Dorset 1,279 1,284 -5 Durham 1,479 1,461 18 Dyfed Powys 1,008 1,005 4 Essex 2,944 2,961 -16 Gloucestershire 1,107 1,133 -25 Greater Manchester 6,908 6,922 -14 Gwent 1,229 1,243 -14 Hampshire 3,481 3,452 29 Hertfordshire 1,738 1,759 -14 Humberside 2,030 2,045 -15
Police strength for ordinary duty Police force Total ranks as at 30 September 19971 Total ranks as at 31 March 19971 Change in numbers Kent 3,301 3,260 41 Lancashire 3,281 3,247 33 Leicestershire 1,958 1,949 9 Lincolnshire 1,189 1,196 -8 Merseyside 4,223 4,230 -8 Metropolitan Police 26,391 26,677 -286 Norfolk 1,440 1,432 8 Northamptonshire 1,181 1,177 4 Northumbria 3,689 3,677 12 North Wales 1,371 1,369 2 North Yorkshire 1,383 1,338 45 Nottinghamshire 2,317 2,323 -6 South Wales 2,990 2,976 14 South Yorkshire 3,158 3,159 -1 Staffordshire 2,230 2,211 19 Suffolk 1,198 1,180 18 Surrey 1,608 1,620 -12 Sussex 3,040 3,085 -45 Thames Valley 3,705 3,695 10 Warwickshire 914 926 -12 West Mercia 2,031 2,040 -9 West Midlands 7,079 7,113 -34 West Yorkshire 5,250 5,209 41 Wiltshire 1,167 1,154 12 Total all forces 124,815 125,051 -236 1 Figures relate to full time equivalents and are rounded to the nearest whole number.