§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his projections are for total police numbers at(a) March 2001 and (b) March 2002. [145558]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 15 January 2001]: Projecting police numbers is difficult. Apart from special arrangements like the crime fighting fund (CFF)—where money is provided specifically for additional recruitment—Ministers have no control over local 275W decisions on the mix of officer strength and other resources that police authorities and chief constables may consider best for their police forces.
Through the CFF, we are providing new money—£454 million over the three years 2000–03—to ensure that there is a step change in the number of officers in the police service. Assuming forces' current projections for recruitment and wastage hold good, police numbers should reach 126,000 by March 2001, and 128,000 by March 2002. There may be some slippage, but the aim is to ensure a significant change in the number.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimates he has received from each police force for the three years commencing in April
276W
Police officer projected wastage 2000–03 (a) Projected wastage in terms of losses to each force and the service Projected transfers Force 2000–01 2000–02 2000–03 Total 2000–01 2000–02 2000–03 Total Avon and Somerset 115 111 111 337 5 10 10 26 Bedfordshire 45 49 57 151 9 4 5 18 Cambridgeshire 63 62 57 182 5 5 5 15 Cheshire 78 90 102 270 6 6 6 18 City of London 40 39 39 118 14 13 13 40 Cleveland 53 58 53 164 6 6 6 18 Cumbria 57 57 57 171 6 6 6 18 Derbyshire 73 74 73 220 4 3 3 10 Devon and Cornwall 132 84 96 312 6 4 4 14 Dorset 81 72 61 214 1 1 1 3 Durharn 49 56 54 159 5 5 5 15 Dyfed-Powys 40 42 40 122 4 4 4 12 Essex 114 115 117 346 8 8 8 24 Gloucestershire 36 50 50 136 2 2 2 6 Greater Manchester 278 279 257 814 15 15 15 45 Gwent 59 51 54 164 3 3 3 9 Hampshire 150 152 170 472 15 15 15 45 Hertfordshire 93 105 95 293 21 23 21 65 Humberside 89 94 80 263 6 6 6 18 Kent 150 141 145 436 20 19 19 58 Lancashire 102 100 116 318 2 2 2 6 Leicestershire 75 83 94 252 9 9 9 27 Lincolnshire 63 63 52 178 3 3 3 9 Merseyside 145 155 165 465 15 15 15 45 Metropolitan 11,270 11,454 1,541 4,265 200 200 150 550 Norfolk 53 63 62 178 3 3 3 9 North Wales 59 59 59 177 3 3 3 9 North Yorkshire 56 58 59 173 6 5 5 16 Northamptonshire 43 54 58 155 3 3 3 9 Northumbria 124 124 118 366 13 10 13 36 Nottinghamshire 78 78 78 234 6 6 6 18 South Wales 152 152 152 456 4 4 4 12 South Yorkshire 102 102 99 303 11 11 11 33 Staffordshire 81 81 81 243 8 8 8 24 Suffolk 54 52 55 161 3 2 5 10 Surrey 142 242 105 489 25 20 25 70 Sussex 185 185 185 555 15 15 15 45 Thames Valley 164 181 195 540 25 25 25 75 Warwickshire 46 49 47 142 5 5 5 15 West Mercia 104 94 94 292 6 6 6 18 West Midlands 312 312 312 936 43 43 43 129 West Yorkshire 190 209 197 596 10 11 11 32 Wiltshire 41 48 48 137 4 4 4 12 Total 5,436 5,779 5.740 16,955 583 571 531 1,685 1 Wastage figures for MPS assume that officers currently seconded to county forces following 1 April 2000 boundary changes will return to the force during 2000–01 and 2001–02. 2000 of (a) wastage in terms of losses to each force and the police service as a whole and (b) projected transfers between forces. [145556]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 15 January 2001]: In their bids for a share of the recruitment scheme of the crime fighting fund made in January 2000, forces provided information on their projected wastage over the following three years. The Metropolitan police service (MPS) has subsequently provided revised figures for total wastage, but not for transfers from the force.
The table shows the estimates forces have given for (a) wastage in terms of losses to each force and the Police Service as a whole; and (b) projected transfers (i.e. transfers from each force into another), for the three years commencing April 2000.