§ Ross CranstonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there were in the West Midlands Police Force in(a) 1971, (b) 1981, (c) 1991 and (d) 2000, respectively; how many of these were from minority ethnic communities; and how many special constables were deployed in the Dudley North OCU in 2001.[7088]
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§ Mr. DenhamThe number of serving special constables at force level have only been recorded centrally from 1991 onwards. Figures for the years prior to this are not available. The total number of special constables, including the numbers of those from minority ethnic communities in West Midlands Police for 1991 and 2000 are set out in the table.
Year Total number of Special constables special constables from minority ethnic backgrounds 31 March 1991 843 115 31 March 2000 680 75 I am informed by West Midlands Police that in 2001, there was an average of 34 serving special constables deployed in the Dudley North Operational Command Unit (OCU).
The Government are committed to increasing the special constabulary and we are looking at radical improvements in their management, welfare and deployment as part of the police reform process.