§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police officers in the UK are armed; and what proportion were armed in(a) 1979, (b) 1983, (c) 1987, (d) 1993, (e) 1997 and (f) 2001. [110593]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthIt is not possible to provide accurate figures in the form requested. However, the number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) in police forces in England and Wales for years 1994–2001 are shown in the table. The figures do not take into account the more effective use and better training of authorised firearms officers.
Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) 1994–95 6,837 1995–96 6,554 1996–97 6,738 1997–98 6,585 1998–99 6,308 1999–2000 6,262 2000–01 6,064