HL Deb 05 June 2000 vol 613 cc118-9WA
Lord Hardy of Wath

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the number of police officers serving in England and Wales (a) at the present time; and (b) five years ago. [HL2549]

Lord Bassam of Brighton

On 30 September 1999, the latest date for which information is available, there were 125,464 police officers in England and Wales. On 30 September 1994, there were 127,427 officers. We plan to publish data on police numbers for 31 March 2000 as soon as they are complete and have been verified. Our current plans are to publish these data by 30 June.