§ 27. Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the correlation between the number of police officers in a police area and the level of crime. [130348]
§ 30. Mrs. OrganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the correlation between the number of police officers in a police area and the level of crime. [130351]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeI refer my hon. Friends to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Mr. Wright) on 13 July 2000,Official Report, columns 668–74W. This presented an assessment by my Department of the relationship between changes in police numbers and crime rates at police force level over the last few years. It showed that at level of individual forces, there seems little obvious link between performance and police numbers.
§ 28. Mr. David HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received about the adequacy of police numbers in rural areas. [130349]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeI have received a number of reports expressing concern about police numbers or the adequacy of police services in rural areas.
453WUnder the Police Act 1996, it is for Chief Constables to determine the number of police officers in their force from within their available resources, but the Government recognise the importance of ensuring that forces have the funding for sufficient officers to provide an effective service.
Rural areas will benefit from the Crime Fighting Fund, which will provide for an additional 9,000 officers over and above those whom forces planned to recruit in the three years 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03.
In addition, £15 million was made available through the Budget, for assistance specifically to police forces in rural areas this year. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Mr. Miller) on 20 July 2000, Official Report, columns 320–21W.