§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Under-Secretary of State for 2065W the Colonies if he will state the total reduction in the numbers of the British members of the police forces in Palestine during the years 1925 to 1928, inclusive; and whether he will state the reasons for this reduction?
§ Mr. LUNNThe number of British members of the Palestine police and Gendarmerie forces was reduced from approximately 540 to approximately 215 during the period referred to in the question. This reduction was due to the reorganisation of the Public Security Forces of Palestine and Transjordan, which took place in 1925–6, when a clear distinction was made between forces employed on normal police duties and those available for military operations. The British and Palestinian sections of the Palestine Gendarmerie, as well as the Arab Legion in Transjordan, as originally constituted, were disbanded and were replaced by Palestine and Tramsjordan police forces and by a military force, known as the Transjordan2066W Frontier Force, in which 17 British officers and eight British warrant and non-commissioned officers were employed. This force is available for duty in both territories.