HC Deb 16 January 2001 vol 361 cc213-4W
Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the(a) capacity of each police training centre in respect of new recruits, (b) the number of new recruits entering training in each month from and including April 2000 and (c) the estimated future monthly (i) training capacity and (ii) number of recruits at each centre [145555]

Mr. Charles Clarke

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: The information requested is as follows:

  1. (a) Each of the five main National Police Training (NPT) Probationer Training Centres (NPT Ashford, NPT Bruche, NPT Cwmbran, NPT Durham, NPT Ryton) receives an intake of probationers every five weeks for their 15 week, residential, Stage 2 phase of probationer training. Each Probationer Training Centre will therefore have three intakes on-site at any one time. The five main Probationer Training Centres each has a maximum intake capacity for each course, namely:
    2. Number
    Ashford 144
    Bruche 112
    Cwmbran 72
    Durham 54
    Ryton 108
  2. With the assistance of up to seven satellite centres (Bramhill, Harrogate, Padgate, Wethersfield, Heythrop, Hutton Hall, Tally Ho) the total NPT intake capacity for the last 10 courses has been:
    3. Start date Intake capacity
    14 February 526
    20 March 508
    25 April 508
    30 May 544
    3 July 526
    7 August 562
    11 September 634
    16 October 624
    20 November 639
    8 January 714
  3. (b) Intakes to foundation training operate on a five-weekly cycle, not a monthly cycle. Metropolitan police intake dates to the training school at Hendon are slightly different from those for 214W National Police Training's Police Training Centres. The number of recruits starting training with NPT and at Hendon on each intake since April 2000 was as follows:
    4. Provincial forces1 Number Metropolitan police Number Total
    25 April 466 17 April 97 563
    30 May 474 22 May 99 573
    3 July 521 26 June 96 617
    7 August 517 31 July 85 602
    11 September 590 4 September 96 686
    16 October 609 9 October 122 731
    20 November 637 14 November 131 768
    8 January 697 18 December 137 834
    1 Includes officers from Channel Islands, Isle of Man, British Transport Police and Royal Parks Constabulary
(c)(i) The Metropolitan Police Service will make the capacity available at Hendon to match the planned number of recruits for each future intake. National Police Training plans to provide about 640 places per training intake during 2001–02. The distribution of these places between NPT centres is expected to change in the course of the year as development proceeds at some sites and the need for leased satellite premises is reviewed. The number of places provided can be increased if demand exceeds forecasts, provided forces are able to identify and second suitable staff to act as trainers. (c)(ii) On each of the two remaining training intakes in 2000–01 (in January and March 2001), the Metropolitan police plan to recruit 200 officers. In 2001–02 the Metropolitan police plans to recruit 247 officers for each of the 10 intakes to the training centre.

The total intake of recruits to NPT centres for each of the remaining two intakes in 2000–01 (in February and March 2001) is expected to be 642, utilising all the available capacity. In 2001–02, it is estimated that there will be an average of about 635 recruits per intake to NPT.

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