HC Deb 14 May 2002 vol 385 cc618-3W
Mr. Wilshire

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were serving in the Spelthorne Division on 1 January in each of the past five years. [55036]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 9 May 2002]: Spelthorne was affected by the boundary changes on 1 April 2000 between the Metropolitan police and Surrey police when the policing of Spelthorne was transferred to Surrey police. The information before April 2000 has therefore been provided by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Sir John Stevens) and the data for subsequent years provide by the Chief Constable of Surrey police (Mr. Denis O'Connor). The divisional boundaries of the old MPS area for Spelthorne are not coterminous with those of Surrey, consequently like with like comparisons cannot be made.

Spelthorne—police numbers
Police strength
Spelthorne North Surrey Division1
31 December 1997 178.4 n/a
31 December 1998 180.8 n/a
31 December 1999 155 n/a
31 March 2001 164.5 256.9
31 December 2001 130.9 186.5
31 March 2002 n/a 2376.1
1 On 27 January 2002 the borough of Spelthorne was combined with the boroughs of Elmbridge and Epsom and Ewell to form the new A Division (North Surrey). The borough of Runneymede was transferred from the old North Surrey Division to West Surrey Division on 27 January 2002. Officers were moved in anticipation of these changes and this accounts for the fall in North Surrey numbers between March and December 2001.
2 New North Surrey Division including Spelthorne.