Police (Hansard, 27 November 2003)

§ Mr. McWalter
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what incentives he is providing to attract police officers who are of continuing value to the service to continue beyond 30 years of service. [142109]

§ Ms Blears
The Police Negotiating Board (PNB) Agreement of May 2002 included outline provisions for flexible arrangements that would give managers in the police service scope to retain officers who are entitled to retire with maximum pension benefits where they wish to do so. The main points of the 30 + scheme subsequently agreed by the PNB are:

Retirement from the force with the option of commuting part of one's pension for a tax-free lump sum;

Re-engagement at former rank and pay level;

Pension abatement lifted to allow for any replacement allowances lost on retirement to be made good;

Eligibility for Special Priority Payments and Competency Related Threshold Payments on the same basis as other officers;

Officer ceases to be a member of the Police Pension Scheme but can accrue further pension benefits by taking out a personal pension.

The 30+ scheme has been piloted in a selection of forces in England and Wales since December 2002. A total of 15 forces are currently participating and the initial response to the scheme has been generally positive, both from officers and forces. We are currently reviewing the progress of this scheme and will send a report to the PNB later this month about extending the scheme nationally.

§ Mr. Oaten
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to police forces in relation to police officers' membership of or affiliation to(a) political parties and (b) other political organisations; and if he will place copies in the Library. [141806]

§ Ms Blears
Schedule 1 to the Police Regulations 2003 states that "A member of a police force shall at all times abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of his duties or which is likely to give rise to the impression among members of the public that it may so interfere; and in particular a member of a police force shall not take any active part in politics".
Copies of Police Regulations 2003 are in the Library (Statutory Instrument No. 527 of 2003).

§ John Mann
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations have taken place over the last year about the formula for the police financial settlement.[140580]

§ Ms Blears
The policing community was consulted in August and October 2003 on the potential impact of changes in data used in the formula.
To provide stability in police funding following major changes for 2003–04, no changes to the structure of the police funding formula have been made for 2004–05 so formula change has not been the subject of consultation.
408W

§ Gregory Barker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional police officers have been recruited in(a) England and (b) East Sussex in the last five years; and what percentage increase this represents in each case. [140890]

§ Ms Blears
The available information is given in the table:

Total police strength1 31 March England ²Sussex

1999 117,195 2,847

2000 115,324 2,822

2001 116,548 2,855

2002 120,073 2,893

2003 124,158 2,989

%Change 31 March 1999 to 31 March 2000 5.9% 5.0%

¹Full time equivalent
²Figures are available for the Sussex Police Force as a whole and not East Sussex as requested.

§ Mr. McCabe
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been(a) killed and (b) injured by drivers (i) failing to stop and (ii) evading arrest in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those injured have retired from the police service as a result.[141326]

§ Ms Blears
Information in the form requested is not held centrally. Data on homicide of police officers where the method is described as being struck by a motor vehicle and the circumstances as resisting arrest or a reckless act involving a motor vehicle are listed in the following table:

Currently recorded homicides of police officers struck by a motor
vehicle

Circumstances Resisting arrest Reckless act involving a motor vehicle

1993 0 0

1994 0 0

1995 0 0

1996 0 0

1997–98 0 0

1998–99 0 0

1999x2013;2000 2 0

2000–01 2 1

2001–02 0 0

Total police strength1	31 March	England	²Sussex
1999	117,195	2,847
2000	115,324	2,822
2001	116,548	2,855
2002	120,073	2,893
2003	124,158	2,989
%Change 31 March 1999 to 31 March 2000	5.9%	5.0%

Currently recorded homicides of police officers struck by a motor vehicle
Circumstances	Resisting arrest	Reckless act involving a motor vehicle
1993	0	0
1994	0	0
1995	0	0
1996	0	0
1997–98	0	0
1998–99	0	0
1999x2013;2000	2	0
2000–01	2	1
2001–02	0	0