HC Deb 24 May 2002 vol 386 cc716-7W
Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police officers in Avon and Somerset have been on long-term sick leave in each year since 1985–86. [56233]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 21 May 2002]The information requested is only available from 1996–7. This is shown in the table. The number of officers on long-term sick leave is as recorded at 31 March for each year. Long-term sick leave is defined as continuous sickness absence of 28 days or more.

Year Police Officers on Long-term Sick Leave Average Number of Police Officers Proportion of Police Officers on Long-term Sick Leave (per cent)
1996–97 285 3,001 9.5
1997–98 342 2,976 11.5
1998–99 59 3,012 2.0
1999–2002 53 2,992 1.8
2000–0 86 2,992 2.9

Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there have been(a) in England and (b) in each police authority in each year since 1980–81. [56232]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 21 May 2002]Police strength figures for each force for each year between 1980 and 1993 are published in the appendix to the Annual Reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, copies of which are in the Library.

Table A sets out police strength between March 1981 and September 2001 in England. Table B sets out police strength for each force for each year between March 1994 and September 2001.

TABLE A

Police Numbers—England 1980–81 to 2001–02
Year (as at 31 March) Number of Police Officers
1980–81 110,282
1981–82 112,197
1982–83 113,219
1983–84 113,299
1984–85 112,402
1985–86 113,052
1986–87 114,130
1987–88 115,947
1988–89 117,024

TABLE B
Police Officer Strength in England (full-time equivalents and excluding secondments)
Police Force March 1994 March 1995 March 1996 March 1997 March 1998 March 1999 March 2000 March 2001 Sept. 2001
Avon and Somerset 3,033 3,000 2,981 2,989 2,976 2,999 2,934 2,994 3,040
Bedfordshire 1,151 1,126 1,128 1,094 1,079 1,041 1,028 1,036 1,050
Cambridgeshire 1,263 1,261 1,238 1,302 1,291 1,274 1,237 1,2% 1,350
Cheshire 1,902 1,932 1,998 2,046 2,042 2,071 2,011 2,002 2,021
Cleveland 1,429 1,438 1,420 1,459 1,483 1,416 1,404 1,407 1,434
Cumbria 1,174 1,167 1,115 1,144 1,164 1,126 1,084 1,048 1,075
Derbyshire 1,820 1,797 1,763 1,791 1,772 1,759 1,777 1,823 1,851
Devon and Cornwall 2,914 2,877 2,899 2,865 2,962 2,887 2,841 2,934 2,972
Dorset 1,297 1,288 1,263 1,284 1,310 1,279 1,306 1,354 1,360
Durham 1,383 1,353 1,401 1,461 1,515 1,568 1,558 1,595 1,600
Essex* 2,937 2,921 2,884 2,961 2,928 2,891 2,806 2,897 2,937
Gloucestershire 1,159 1,163 1,133 1,133 1,104 1,104 1,114 1,173 1,169
Greater Manchester 6,967 7,037 6,938 6,922 6,949 6,810 6,795 6,909 7,036
Hampshire 3,270 3,256 3,347 3,452 3,490 3,473 3,419 3,438 3,449
Hertfordshire* 1,682 1,703 1,712 1,759 1,740 1,724 1,767 1,922 1,843
Humberside 2,039 2,029 2,041 2,045 2,021 1,974 1,932 1,917 1,991
Kent 3,145 3,117 3,120 3,260 3,251 3,201 3,204 3,319 3,367
Lancashire 3,170 3,212 3,171 3,247 3,257 3,245 3,179 3,255 3,288
Leicestershire 1,825 1,839 1,908 1,949 1,983 1,993 1,993 2,032 2,062
Lincolnshire 1,205 1,199 1,145 1,196 1,191 1,140 1,115 1,202 1,184
London, City of 893 885 869 859 825 778 732 703 699
Merseyside 4,693 4,659 4,411 4,230 4,216 4,211 4,085 4,081 4,095
Metropolitan Police* 27,699 27,480 27,343 26,677 26,094 26,073 25,485 24,878 25,374
Norfolk 1,447 1,359 1,401 1,432 1,430 1,381 1,381 1,420 1,436
North Yorkshire 1,318 1,300 1,324 1,338 1,367 1,337 1,283 1,305 1,390
Northamptonshire 1,170 1,156 1,153 1,177 1,169 1,137 1,117 1,157 1,180
Northumbria 3,598 3,606 3,668 3,677 3,769 3,840 3,788 3,857 3,893
Nottinghamshire 2,328 2,319 2,318 2,323 2,323 2,225 2,204 2,275 2,273
South Yorkshire 3,023 3,040 3,073 3,159 3,182 3,168 3,163 3,197 3,223
Staffordshire 2,208 2,231 2,209 2,211 2,292 2,238 2,170 2,129 2,119
Suffolk 1,208 1,191 1,138 1,180 1,186 1,190 1,145 1,133 1,146
Surrey* 1,669 1,676 1,644 1,620 1,608 1,662 1,785 2,066 2,018
Sussex 3,009 2,931 3,074 3,085 2,996 2,847 2,822 2,855 2,837
Thames Valley 3,908 3,854 3,674 3,695 3,776 3,748 3,740 3,703 3,708
Warwickshire 1,046 1,013 979 926 924 908 900 926 930
West Mercia 2,059 2,046 2,017 2,040 2,010 2,025 1,887 1,951 1,994
West Midlands 7,014 7,019 7,145 7,113 7,156 7,321 7,194 7,423 7,432
West Yorkshire 5,046 5,050 5,142 5,209 5,155 4,982 4,822 4,815 4,859
Wiltshire 1,264 1,261 1,218 1,154 1,156 1,151 1,118 1,120 1,152
Total England 119,365 118,827 118,405 118,459 118,138 117,195 115,324 116,548 117,836

Notes

This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

It does not include officers on secondment to NCS/NCIS and their predecessors or to any central service organisation. This is because it is not possible to differentiate between English and Welsh police officers on secondment from Home Office records.

* These forces have been affected by the boundary changes which took place in April 2000.

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