§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was total spending on road policing by(a) police forces in England and Wales and (b) each individual police force in the latest year for which figures are available; what such spending was as a proportion of the total spending on policing in each case; and what guidance his Department gives to police authorities on the proportion of overall spending which should be allocated to road policing. [43995]
§ Mr. MichaelThe information requested is not collected centrally. The allocation of resources to particular functions and the deployment of officers are operational matters for individual chief constables. We have issued no guidance to police authorities on the allocation of resources to road policing.
Road traffic offences and other crimes do not necessarily occur separately. A large part of traffic officers' time is spent dealing with ordinary crime or carrying out ordinary police duties. Conversely, officers on general beat duties are able to take prompt action against breaches of road traffic law.