§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers per 1,000 population there were for each police force in each of the past five years. [40592]
§ Mr. MichaelThe information is set out in the table.
The population figures are those provided by the Office for National Statistics. For 1997–98, the population figures used are the same as for 1996–97 (mid 1996) as mid 1997 population figures will not be available until later this year.
367W
Police per 1,000 of population Police Force 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 Surrey 2.17 2.17 2.12 2.09 2.07 Sussex 2.09 2.02 2.1 2.1 2.07 Thames Valley 1.95 1.91 1.79 1.79 1.79 Warwickshire 2.12 2.04 1.96 1.85 1.83 West Mercia 1.86 1.83 1.81 1.82 1.82 West Midlands 2.66 2.67 2.71 2.69 2.68 West Yorkshire 2.4 2.4 2.44 2.47 2.49 Wiltshire 2.17 2.15 2.06 1.95 1.97 Average 2.45 2.43 2.41 2.4 2.4 Note:
1. Police numbers used for 1997–98 are those for September 1997, the latest available.