§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police officers were available for ordinary duty, by rank, for each of the police forces in England and Wales on 30 September 1999; [111513]
Police strength in England and Wales—total strength for ordinary duty as at 30 September 1999 All ranks 1 Police force Chief Constable Assistant Chief Constable Superintendent Chief Inspector Inspector Sergeant Constable Total police ranks 1 Avon and Somerset 1.0 3.0 23.0 36.0 147.6 452.4 2,325.7 2,988.7 Bedfordshire 1.0 2.0 13.0 10.0 54.8 141.5 826.1 1,048.4 Cambridgeshire 1.0 2.0 14.0 13.0 61.3 203.5 977.4 1,272.2 Cheshire 1.0 3.0 19.0 30.0 98.0 328.0 1,564.6 2,043.6 City of London 1.0 2.0 8.0 12.0 46.0 100.8 574.8 744.6 Cleveland 1.0 1.0 24.0 2.0 60.0 196.0 1,088.6 1,372.6 Cumbria 1.0 2.0 10.0 19.0 51.0 170.0 839.9 1,092.9 Derbyshire 1.0 3.0 23.0 28.0 94.0 289.0 1,325.6 1,763.6 Devon and Cornwall 1.0 4.0 33.0 45.0 133.0 422.8 2,222.3 2,861.1 Dorset 1.0 2.0 17.0 22.0 66.0 204.1 964.1 1,276.1 Durham 1.0 2.0 18.0 24.0 77.0 208.7 1,224.0 1,554.6 Dyfed Powys 1.0 2.0 15.0 18.0 46.0 179.0 787.6 1,048.6 Essex 1.0 3.0 24.0 46.0 124.0 446.4 2,190.3 2,834.7 Gloucestershire 1.0 2.0 10.0 15.0 55.0 162.2 852.8 1,098.0 Greater Manchester 1.0 6.0 79.0 89.0 337.3 999.6 5,298.4 6,810.3 Gwent 0.0 0.0 14.0 16.0 54.0 200.0 977.3 1,261.3 Hampshire 1.0 3.0 39.4 36.0 164.8 531.4 2,635.2 3,410.8 Hertfordshire 1.0 3.0 20.0 23.0 96.0 259.3 1,357.7 1,760.0 Humberside 1.0 2.0 20.0 26.0 103.0 279.6 1,494.6 1,926.2 Kent 1.0 4.0 26.0 38.0 142.0 473.4 2,572.3 3,256.7 Lancashire 1.0 3.0 34.0 36.0 164.0 519.1 2,464.4 3,221.4 Leicestershire 1.0 3.0 16.0 19.0 95.0 271.4 1,592.1 1,997.5 Lincolnshire 1.0 2.0 11.0 17.0 65.0 185.5 829.3 1,110.8 Merseyside 1.0 3.0 50.0 55.0 176.0 615.8 3,170.1 4,070.8 Metropolitan police2 7.0 29.0 214.0 388.6 1,208.5 4,050.9 19,986.5 25,884.5 Norfolk 1.0 2.0 17.0 22.0 73.0 203.4 1,063.2 1,381.5 Northamptonshire 1.0 2.0 12.0 10.0 50.6 174.1 880.3 1,130.0 Northumbria 1.0 4.0 36.0 56.0 183.8 532.9 2,986.4 3,800.1 North Wales 1.0 1.0 16.0 29.0 71.0 232.0 1,049.0 1,399.0 North Yorkshire 1.0 1.0 12.0 12.0 53.0 215.5 999.2 1,293.7 Nottinghamshire 1.0 3.0 21.0 19.6 117.0 328.0 1,737.4 2,227.0 South Wales 1.0 4.0 30.0 36.0 159.0 442.0 2,311.0 2,983.0 South Yorkshire 1.0 4.0 38.0 46.0 168.0 485.8 2,422.2 3,165.0 Staffordshire 1.0 3.0 21.0 27.0 112.0 337.7 1,704.3 2,206.0 Suffolk 1.0 2.0 13.0 15.0 55.0 171.4 902.6 1,160.0 Surrey 1.0 3.0 16.0 19.0 76.5 261.8 1,343.9 1,721.1 Sussex 1.0 4.0 27.0 38.0 152.4 466.0 2,221.0 2,909.3 Thames Valley 1.0 3.0 43.0 28.0 194.0 565.4 2,915.2 3,749.5 Warwickshire 1.0 1.0 10.0 8.0 47.0 124.5 724.2 915.7 West Mercia 1.0 3.0 18.0 30.0 99.0 299.7 1,528.7 1,979.4 West Midlands 1.0 4.0 59.0 46.0 307.0 987.4 5,892.0 7,296.4 West Yorkshire 1.0 4.0 45.0 75.0 238.0 669.4 3,840.6 4,873.0 Wiltshire 1.0 2.0 14.0 18.0 62.0 177.9 875.3 1,150.2 NCS 1.0 5.0 17.0 33.0 85.0 252.0 943.0 1,336.0 NCIS 1.044 2.0 7.0 16.0 20.0 62.0 131.0 239.0 Total all forces 50.0 148.0 1,246.4 1,647.2 6,042.5 18.878.8 96,611.9 124,624.7 1 Full-time equivalents 2 The Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioners are counted as Chief Constables
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of police officers who will be diverted from public duties to statistical operations as a result of new Home Office targets. [111452]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe deployment of police officers is the operational responsibility of Chief Constables. However, the introduction of best value into the police service from April this year and the requirement
122W(2) what was the total number of constables available for ordinary duty on 30 September 1999 for each of the police forces in England and Wales. [111476]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe requested details are given in the table as full-time equivalents.
that year on year efficiency savings of 2 per cent. must be recycled into front line policing should allow Chief Constables to allocate more officers to the essential job of reducing crime. Information Technology systems being delivered under the National Strategy for Police Information Systems and new radio technology for the police being provided as part of the Public Safety Radio Communications Strategy, will also do much to free officers from administrative burdens.
123WPolice authorities already set a wide range of targets for existing performance indicators. The new arrangements for crime targets are a refinement of this. The recently announced proposed targets for domestic burglary, vehicle crime and, for five police authorities, robbery, demonstrate the police service's commitment to setting challenging, but realistic five year reduction targets for the crimes which are of most concern to the public.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers from ethnic minorities(a) have completed the police service accelerated promotion scheme and (b) are currently on the accelerated promotion scheme. [111481]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThree ethnic minority police officers have successfully completed the Accelerated Promotion scheme since its inception in 1992, and five are currently on the Scheme. These include two officers who were recently selected through an in-service competition to attend this year's Accelerated Promotion Course, which is an integral part of the Scheme.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the registration of police officers who are freemasons. [111477]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeOn 1 April 1999, the Home Office wrote to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) requesting that ACPO write to each Chief Constable in England and Wales to ask them to set up voluntary, internal registers of freemasonry membership among their police officers and civilian staff. ACPO duly wrote to each Chief Constable on 7 April 1999. As a result, 34 forces in England and Wales have established voluntary registers.
§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is his policy that there should be more police officers in England and Wales at the end of this parliament than at the start; and if he will make a statement. [110744]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 21 February 2000]: Following the passage of the Police and Magistrates Courts Act 1994, the actual numbers of police officers at any one time is a matter for Chief Constables to determine. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary set out his policy on the number of police officers, in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet (Mr. Burgon) on 9 February 2000, Official Report, columns 172–74W.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implementation of targets for recruitment from ethnic minorities by police forces in England and Wales. [111571]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeAt the National Conference for the Recruitment, Retention and progression of Black and Asian Police Officers (Dismantling Barriers) in April 1999, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary set out what the police service targets would be. All forces in England and Wales were set individual targets to reflect their local ethnic minority population within 10 years.
The targets and Dismantling Barriers Action Plan were published in August last year. The 25 point strategic plan was published as part of the Dismantling Barriers programme. The programme aims to remove 124W discriminatory practices in the Police Service and to make it more attractive to all groups that are currently underrepresented in the service.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has also set employment targets for recruitment, retention and progression for the Home Office and all its service areas, that is, police, fire, probation and prison services. These targets were published on 28 July 1999.
Change will not happen overnight and that is why my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has set a 10-year agenda. The use of milestones and regular monitoring will allow the existing momentum to be maintained over the 10-year period. A Targets Working Group, chaired by the Home Office Race Equality Unit has been established to take forward the implementation of the targets. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will also produce a report on progress annually.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police officers were recruited by each of the police forces in England and Wales between 30 September 1998 and 30 September 1999; [111473]
(2) how many police officers left each of the police forces in England and Wales between 30 September 1998 and 30 September 1999 due to (a) retirement, (b) resignation or (c) other reasons. [111475]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe details requested are given in the table and are based on numbers of officers rather than full-time equivalents.
125W
Officer recruitment and wastage—October 1998 to September 1999 Number of officers Police force Recruited Retiring Resigning Other wastage Avon and Somerset 153 76 20 7 Bedfordshire 55 44 8 8 Cambridgeshire 40 46 13 3 Cheshire 81 62 9 3 City of London 11 29 8 17 Cleveland 9 63 12 7 Cumbria 22 48 12 6 Derbyshire 49 40 7 7 Devon and Cornwall 68 100 9 7 Dorset 34 49 13 13 Durham 51 31 11 6 Dyfed Powys 67 27 5 2 Essex 88 116 25 17 Gloucestershire 60 42 9 1 Greater Manchester 229 264 36 22 Gwent 62 46 11 10 Hampshire 106 106 25 43 Hertfordshire 133 55 30 10 Humberside 57 74 9 16 Kent 169 75 33 15 Lancashire 106 74 16 4 Leicestershire 90 49 22 13 Lincolnshire 1 47 8 1 Merseyside 164 144 17 9 Metropolitan Police 1,329 882 329 293 Norfolk 33 38 11 5 Northamptonshire 24 20 21 13 Northumbria 190 86 12 29 North Wales 78 63 1 4 North Yorkshire 1 39 15 4 Nottinghamshire 55 80 11 14 South Wales 198 156 12 12 South Yorkshire 133 90 26 15 Staffordshire 32 51 21 8 Suffolk 31 39 8 6 Surrey 165 58 18 5 Sussex 110 116 51 26
Officer recruitment and wastage—October 1998 to September 1999 Number of officers Police force Recruited Retiring Resigning Other wastage Thames Valley 134 97 53 7 Warwickshire 44 30 9 7 West Mercia 55 70 23 6 West Midlands 405 187 68 61 West Yorkshire 4 146 29 24 Wiltshire 39 28 14 1 NCS 255 0 0 281 NCIS 36 2 0 30 Total all forces 5,256 3,985 1,100 1,098
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of possible cultural bias in the testing procedures for promotion to the senior ranks of police. [111450]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeAn equal opportunities audit is at present under way of the Extended Interview (EI) process by which officers are selected to attend the Strategic Command Course at National Police Training Bramshill. Successful completion of the Course is a requirement for promotion to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable or Commander. The audit will provide an independent assessment of the fairness of the process and will identify areas for further improvement.
The EI process involves a wide range of tests and exercises, designed to give every candidate maximum opportunity to demonstrate his or her competencies and also to promote maximum objectivity in assessment. All assessors receive training from the Home Office Assessment and Consultancy Unit for this task, and the Director and Co-Directors of Police Extended Interviews monitor the process to ensure consistent standards and fairness. Every effort is made to ensure that the questions and tests used are not unfair to any group of candidates.