HC Deb 10 March 2003 vol 401 cc71-4W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of policing(a) the Iraq demonstration on 15 February and (b) the last Countryside Rally in London. [101145]

Mr. Denham

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the total cost of policing the 'Stop the war' demonstration on 15 February was £965,238 and the total cost of policing the Countryside Alliance Mass Lobby of Parliament on 16 December 2002 was £163,000.

Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on administration by each English police authority in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [99880]

Mr. Denham

The information is not held centrally.

Mr. Tony Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there are in each police force area in England and Wales; and how many(a) police officers and (b) civilian support staff there were in England and Wales in each year since 1996. [100803]

Mr. Denham

The information requested is provided in the tables. By 31 March 2002, police service strength had reached the record number of 129,603, on track for the Government's targets of 130,000 by March 2003 and 132,500 in 2004.

Force Police officer strength as at 31 March 2002 Civilian support staff strength as at 31 March 2002
Avon and Somerset 3,096 1,611
Bedfordshire 1,069 524
Cambridgeshire 1,362 733
Cheshire 2,059 884
Cleveland 1,461 626
Cumbria 1,100 631
Derbyshire 1,848 953

Force Police officers strength as at 31 March 2002 Civilian support staff strength as at 31 March 2002
Devon and Cornwall 3,053 1,639
Dorset 1,381 741
Durham 1,614 660
Essex 2,946 459
Gloucestershire 1,183 1,571
Greater Manchester 7,217 545
Hampshire 3,480 3,135
Hertfordshire 1,825 570
Humberside 2,058 1,597
Kent 3,355 1,121
Lancashire 3,304 816
Leicestershire 2,100 1,958
Lincolnshire 1,198 1,442
London, City of 764 816
Merseyside 4,125 600
Metropolitan Police 26,223 247
Norfolk 1,468 1,532
Northamptonshire 1,214 10,459
Northumbria 3,929 819
North Yorkshire 1,417 645
Nottinghamshire 2,330 743
South Yorkshire 3,199 742
Staffordshire 2,133 1,403
Suffolk 1,203 1,087
Surrey 1,992 1,435
Sussex 2,893 1,352
Thames Valley 3,762 1,030
Warwickshire 969 692
West Mercia 2,018 1,043
West Midlands 7,681 1,507
West Yorkshire 4,889 2,061
Wiltshire 1,157 459
Dyfed-Powys 1,132 1,116
Gwent 1,333 3,007
North Wales 1,506 2,364
South Wales 3,222 649
Total Secondments 2,336 887
Total police officer strength 129,603 58,909

Year as at 31 March Police officers Civilian support staff
1996 126,901 52,933
1997 127,158 53,011
1998 126,814 52,975
1999 126,096 52,465
2000 124,170 52,588
2001 125,682 53,575
2002 12.9,603 58,022

Source:

Home Office Statistical Bulletins—Police Service Strength—1996–02

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recommendations have been made by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary on the optimum number of probationers as a proportion of overall office numbers within a police force. [100690]

Mr. Denham

None.

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of(a) officers, (b) constables and (c) police area constables were probationers in each police force in each year since 1998–99. [100730]

Mr. Denham

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has provided the information in the table. Police area constable is not a recognised category. The proportion of probationers has been rising as a consequence of the very substantial increase in recruitment that began in 2000–01. As a result of that increased recruitment, by 31 March 2002, police service strength had reached the record number of 129,603, on track for the Government's targets of 130,000 by March 2003 and 132,500 in 2004.

1998–99 1999–2000
Probationers as a percentage of:
Force All ranks Constables All ranks Constables
Avon and Somerset 6.5 8.4 5.4 6.9
Bedfordshire 7.4 9.4 6.4 8.2
Cambridgeshire 2.0 2.6 3.7 4.8
Cheshire 8.4 10.8 6.1 8.0
City of London 4.8 6.1 1.8 2.3
Cleveland 5.2 6.5 4.4 5.6
Cumbria 2.0 2.6 3.6 4.7
Derbyshire 6.2 8.2 6.7 8.7
Devon and Cornwall 7.9 10.2 4.8 6.1
Dorset 7.3 9.5 6.5 8.5
Durham 11.9 15.2 8.5 10.8
Dyfed-Powys 6.7 9.0 6.2 8.4
Essex 6.4 8.4 5.2 6.7
Gloucestershire 7.7 9.8 11.4 14.7
Greater Manchester 1.6 2.0 2.7 3.5
Gwent 6.2 8.0 8.3 10.9
Hampshire 8.2 10.5 6.5 8.4
Hertfordshire 7.4 9.6 11.7 15.1
Humberside 5.3 6.9 4.0 5.2
Kent 7.4 9.5 8.3 10.5
Lancashire 5.3 7.0 2.7 3.5
Leicestershire 9.4 11.8 7.5 9:3
Lincolnshire 3.7 4.9. 3.0 4.0
Merseyside 7.7 9.8 4.2 5.4
Metropolitan Police 10.0 12.9 7.7 10.0
Norfolk 5.1 6.6 3.5 4.5
Northamptonshire 4.9 6.2 4.2 5.4
Northumbria 11.5 14.6 7.7 9.8
North Wales 7.1 9.3 7.2 9.5
North Yorkshire 5.8 7.6 1.9 2.5
Nottinghamshire 0.0 0.0 4.3 5.4
South Wales 9.1 11.7 8.9 11.6
South Yorkshire 6.8 8.8 7.1 9.3
Staffordshire 10.1 13.2 3.0 3.9
Suffolk 10.4 13.2 1.3 1.7
Surrey 11.4 14.8 16.2 20.7
Sussex 7.9 10.4 5.6 7.4
Thames Valley 10.4 13.4 8.6 11.0
Warwickshire 9.1 11.6 6.8 8.6
West Mercia 4.2 5.4 1.4 1.8
West Midlands 12.0 14.8 9.4 11.6
West Yorkshire 3.8 4.8 1.2 1.6
Wiltshire 0.0 0.0 1.3 1.8

2000–01 2001–02
Probationers as a percentage of:
Force Alll ranks Constables All ranks Constables
Avon and Somerset 4.5 5.7 5.2 6.6
Bedfordshire 10.4 13.3 19.1 24.1
Cambridgeshire 11.0 14.5 15.8 20.3
Cheshire 5.8 7.6 11.7 15.1
City of London 4.1 5.5 12.8 16.6
Cleveland 8.6 10.9 13.0 6.5
Cumbria 4.5 5.8 9.8 12.6
Derbyshire 9.4 12.2 11.6 14.9
Devon and Cornwall 7.9 10.0 11.0 14.0
Dorset 10.1 13.1 12.7 16.4
Durham 7.5 9.5 10.0 12.7
Dyfed-Powys 17.9 23.7 12.6 16.4
Essex 8.4 10.8 13.3 17.0
Gloucestershire 12.0 15.3 12.0 15.3
Greater Manchester 3.2 4.1 13.0 16.3
Gwent 9.3 12.0 16.4 21.0
Hampshire 8.4 11.0 11.2 14.5
Hertfordshire 11.9 15.5 14.8 18.9
Humberside 7.3 9.3 15.4 19,5
Kent 3.6 4.5 14.4 18.2

2000–01 2001–02
Probationers as a Percentage of:
Force Alll ranks Constables All ranks Constables
Lancashire 7.9 10.3 11.1 14.4
Leicestershire 9.2 11.4 11.8 14.7
Lincolnshire 11.6 15.0 15.6 20.4
Merseyside 5.0 6.4 8.7 10.9
Metropolitan Police 7.9 10.3 9.1 11.8
Norfolk 8.1 10.4 12.0 15.3
Northamptonshire 7.9 9.9 13.2 16.7
Northumbria 7.9 10.0 10.9 13.8
North Wales 11.7 15.4 14.0 18.3
North Yorkshire 5.6 7.2 2.1 2.8
Nottinghamshire 7.5 9.6 0.9 1.2
South Wales 3.0 3.8 13.3 16.9
South Yorkshire 5.2 6.8 10.3 13.5
Staffordshire 3.8 4.9 7.1 9.3
Suffolk 6.4 8.2 13.6 17.1
Surrey 19.3 24.7 21.2 26.9
Sussex 9.6 12.6 13.5 17.7
Thames Valley 10.7 13.8 15.1 19.4
Warwickshire 9.2 11.6 14.9 18.7
West Mercia 4.0 5.2 10.4 13.6
West Midlands 10.3 12.8 9.5 11.7
West Yorkshire 5.4 6.9 11.0 13.9
Wiltshire 7.1 9.4 11.8 15.3

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average annual cost of employing, training and developing a probationary police constable in the last year for which figures are available. [100731]

Mr. Denham

No central records are kept of the overall cost of employing, training and developing a police officer, which is the responsibility of the Chief Officer of each force.

However, when payment rates were agreed for new recruits to be taken on through the Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) provision was made for pay-related costs, recruitment and for the residential element of foundation training. The current CFF payment rates are set out in the table. This does not account for the full cost of training and developing a probationary constable.

CFF Payment rates 2002–03
Pay-related costs Training Recruitment
Payment per officer at £ per annum Payment per officer at £
Essex, Kent, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Thames Valley Police 28,298 17,000 1,056
Bedfordshire, Hants, Sussex Police 27,208 17,000 1,056
Metropolitan Police Service 32,542 17,000 1,056
City of London Police 32,542 17,000 1,056
All other forces 26,118 17,000 1,056
1Paid to Centrex

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