§ Sir Paul BeresfordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police units there are in 241W the United Kingdom to enforce international obligations on the protection of endangered species; and what budget has been set aside for this purpose in each of the last five years. [147715]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 29 January 2001]: There is, in England and Wales, a network of Police Wildlife Liaison Officers, the vast majority of whom carry out this role in addition to their other police duties and responsibilities.
Six police forces in England and Wales have a full-time Wildlife Liaison Officer. Only a small part of the work of Wildlife Liaison Officers would deal with enforcing international obligations in respect of endangered species.
There are no figures available in respect of the budgetary provision for this work as that is a matter for individual chief officers.
Police figures in England and Wales Recruitments Retirements Resignations Other1 Police force September 1999 March 2000 September 1999 March 2000 September 1999 March 2000 September 1999 March 2000 Avon and Somerset 60 44 43 61 13 8 4 17 Bedfordshire 37 0 19 20 6 5 6 2 Cambridgeshire 23 0 21 16 4 9 3 1 Cheshire 25 11 31 36 6 11 2 4 City of London 0 0 20 9 3 3 8 7 Cleveland 9 59 29 24 3 0 2 1 Cumbria 15 8 28 22 4 5 3 4 Derbyshire 34 45 14 22 2 1 5 3 Devon and Cornwall 42 32 56 56 5 12 4 1 Dorset 15 72 22 27 9 7 5 5 Durham 15 36 15 17 6 8 4 8 Dyfed Powys 38 16 17 14 2 6 0 0 Essex 41 52 72 27 13 4 14 39 Gloucestershire 29 30 23 13 6 7 1 3 Greater Manchester 159 127 118 117 23 12 14 12 Gwent 49 33 29 20 4 5 7 3 Hampshire 61 91 71 58 17 15 23 6 Hertfordshire 88 79 33 34 17 13 0 18 Humberside 37 54 38 38 4 9 6 0 Kent 107 67 43 59 14 20 7 13 Lancashire 51 48 44 34 9 22 1 1 Leicestershire 38 29 21 25 15 8 0 0 Lincolnshire 0 34 26 32 2 6 1 0 Merseyside 39 2 71 45 10 7 4 8 Metropolitan police 566 428 409 406 182 184 124 172 Norfolk 19 24 19 26 6 1 3 2 Northamptonshire 11 8 9 16 6 4 1 2 Northumbria 87 34 43 60 9 19 10 10 North Wales 40 39 24 25 0 4 2 1 North Yorkshire 1 9 25 26 5 6 3 1 Nottinghamshire 43 61 34 33 6 5 5 9 South Wales 81 43 83 22 7 7 5 7 South Yorkshire 67 61 42 58 13 9 8 7 Staffordshire 21 1 23 28 10 13 6 1 Suffolk 2 15 20 17 5 6 4 4 Surrey 87 96 27 27 8 18 0 0 Sussex 70 31 50 57 22 25 16 15 Thames Valley 88 102 57 52 29 25 4 22 Warwickshire 24 35 12 13 7 2 2 2 West Mercia 13 2 45 34 10 10 2 1 West Midlands 160 95 90 94 39 75 28 1 West Yorkshire 1 60 80 73 13 21 12 10 Wiltshire 20 9 17 23 7 18 1 0 Total all forces 2,413 2,122 2,013 1,916 581 655 360 423 1 "Other" includes death, dismissals and departures for other reasons.