§ Mr. MaginnisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in the latest year for which figures are available how many police officers and of what ranks are engaged exclusively in(a) complaints and discipline and (b) drug squad duties in each constabulary in Great Britain; and what is the total manpower of each constabulary. [75908]
§ Kate HoeyI can answer only in respect of England and Wales. Information is not available centrally on the number and ranks of police officers engaged exclusively in complaints and discipline duties. The number of officers engaged exclusively in drugs duties in 1997–98 in each force area is in the table. Information is not collected centrally on the ranks of the officers involved. In some forces, the detection of drugs offences will form part of a wider range of responsibilities undertaken by officers.
Figures for the number of officers in each force in England and Wales at the end of September 1998 are also in the table.
588W
Year: 1997–98 Forces Number of dedicated drugs officers Avon and Somerset 38 Bedfordshire 13 Cambridgeshire 6 Cheshire 6 City of London 0 Cleveland 4 Cumbria 0 Derbyshire 21 Devon and Cornwall 10 Dorset 18 Durham 14 Dyfed-Powys 16 Essex 8 Gloucestershire 23 Greater Manchester 30 Gwent 10 Hampshire 19 Hertfordshire 11 Humberside 14 Kent 0
Year: 1997–98 Forces Number of dedicated drugs officers Lancashire 0 Leicestershire 13 Lincolnshire 9 Merseyside 6 Metropolitan Police 83 Norfolk 21 Northamptonshire 25 Northumbria 31 North Wales 21 North Yorkshire 0 Nottinghamshire 17 South Wales 26 South Yorkshire 80 Staffordshire 27 Suffolk 24 Surrey 11 Sussex 0 Thames Valley 27 Warwickshire 10 West Mercia 9 West Midlands 38 West Yorkshire 105 Wiltshire 18 England and Wales total 862
Number of officers—police forces in England and Wales Forces 30 September 1998 Avon and Somerset 2,965.8 Bedfordshire 1,050.9 Cambridgeshire 1,285.9 Cheshire 2,054.9 City of London 792.5 Cleveland 1,453.2 Cumbria 1,153 Derbyshire 1,768.5 Devon and Cornwall 2,918.1 Dorset 1,286.4 Durham 1,559.1 Dyfed-Powys 1,013.3 Essex 2,903.1 Gloucestershire 1,090.9 Greater Manchester 6,890.2 Gwent 1,254.3 Hampshire 3,489.9 Hertfordshire 1,706.4 Humberside 2,003.4 Kent 3,200.2 Lancashire 3,245.1 Leicestershire 1,974.5 Lincolnshire 1,159.2 Merseyside 4,270.4 Metropolitan Police 26,106.3 Norfolk 1,409.6 North Wales 1,395 North Yorkshire 1,359.8 Northamptonshire 1,162.3 Northumbria 3,802 Nottinghamshire 2,269 South Wales 2,945.6 South Yorkshire 3,170.6 Staffordshire 2,271.1 Suffolk 1,179.7 Surrey 1,614.7 Sussex 2,923.9 Thames Valley 3,789.6 Warwickshire 923.5 West Mercia 2,024.2 West Midlands 7,215.3 West Yorkshire 5,065.7 Wiltshire 1,147.8 Total 124,264.8