§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers there will be in each London borough under the664W second funding round in 2003–04; how many were allocated to each London borough in the first round; and if he will make a statement [116748]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe allocation of Community Support Officers (CSOs) within the Metropolitan Police District is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. The number of CSOs being allocated to individual Boroughs as a result of each funding round is set out in the table.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) was allocated 500 CSOs in the first funding round, where the Home Office paid for salaries and direct on-costs.
They have also been allocated 250 CSOs in the second funding round on the basis that the Home Office will pay 50 per cent. of salaries and direct on-costs. The Commissioner has advised me though that the MPA will fully fund a further 250 CSOs. Their allocation is also included in the table.
Boroughs Funding round one
Funding round two and
metropolitan
police authority
funded
Total allocation to
boroughts
Barking and Dagenham 0 15 15 Barnet 8 22 30 Bexley 0 20 20 Brent 10 15 25 Bromley 0 28 28 Camden 30 0 30 Croydon 10 21 31 Baling 8 21 29 Enfield 9 17 26 Greenwich 10 10 20 Hackney 11 8 19 Hammersmith and Fulham 8 7 15 Haringey 11 9 20 Harrow 0 19 19 Havering 0 21 21 Hillingdon 0 33 33 Hounslow 0 30 30 Islington 10 6 16 Kensington and Chelsea 30 0 30 Kingston-upon-Thames 0 13 13 Lambeth 21 9 30 Lewisham 10 13 23 Merton 0 17 17 Newham 40 3 43 Redbridge 0 22 22 Richmond-upon-Thames 0 16 16 Southwark 14 9 23 Sutton 0 17 17 Tower Hamlets 20 18 38 Waltham Forest 0 20 20 Wandsworth 0 25 25 Westminster 200 17 217 Heathrow 40 0 40 Total 500 501 11,001 1Table shows 1,001 due to rounding up adjustments and part- time posts.
§ Ian LucasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Community Support Officers in assisting police forces. [116873]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthMore than 1,300 Community Support Officers (CSOs) are currently being deployed by police forces throughout England and Wales. We have already received a good deal of anecdotal information from a wide variety of sources that CSOs are having a positive effect in their communities by providing a visible and reassuring policing presence.
665WThe money given to each police force includes an element for evaluation and forces are due to send us their initial findings by the end of September.