§ Mr. Edeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what fresh action he has taken, since 1st November, 1951, to increase recruitment of police officers in the Metropolis and in the larger cities and county boroughs of England and Wales.
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeOvertime, detective duty and boot allowances have been increased. The Discipline Regulations have been overhauled to ensure that they command the confidence of all ranks. A number of improvements, comparatively small in themselves, have been made in the conditions of service. The building of police houses has been pressed forward; some 2,200 married quarters, 400 of them in the Metropolitan police district, were built in 1952.
I have authorised special measures, including wider advertising and the preparation of an illustrated brochure, to attract recruits to the Metropolitan police and have invited the appointing authorities in other forces with large deficiencies to consider whether further advertising would be justified. I am doing all that I can to secure agreement to the setting 32W up of new negotiating machinery for the police. From 31st October, 1951, to 31st January, 1953, the Metropolitan police force had a net gain in strength of 538 and in the same period other city and borough forces with establishments of over 400 had a net gain of 651.