HL Deb 03 February 1966 vol 272 cc577-8WA
LORD CHESHAM

asked Her Majesty's Government:

To provide any information available to compare the density of police patrolling of:—

  1. (1)Motorways
  2. (2)Other main traffic routes,
in the United Kingdom and on equivalent roads in the United States of America, France and West Germany.

LORD STONHAM

Police patrol strengths on United Kingdom motorways vary according to local conditions and operational requirements. Basic scales of policing of motorways and other major through routes are at present under consideration by a working party appointed by my right honorable friend the Home Secretary, which is shortly to receive a report on the experimental system of coordinated policing in the South-West, which finished at the end of 1965. The latest information indicates that the average basic scale of policing throughout 24 hours is approximately one vehicle to 14 miles of motorway, but that the average basic scale during peak daytime hours is one vehicle to ten miles. These figures, however, make no allowance for the time spent off patrol by the crews when dealing with incidents, attending court and taking refreshment.

No comparable figures are known for motorways in France and the United States of America. Information that exists about West German motorways appears to indicate basic scales which varied a short time ago between 15 and 25 miles of motorway for each vehicle.

Figures are not available for the density of patrolling on other main roads in this country or abroad.