§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will obtain from the Chief Constable a report as to the number of police officers on duty at a meeting on 2nd May held near Derby and addressed by the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West; and if he will state at whose request they were sent there;
(2) if he will obtain from the Chief Constable a report stating on whose decision police were sent to the meeting near Derby on 2nd May addresed by the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West;
(3) if he will obtain from the Chief Constable a report stating how many of the police force on duty at the meeting near Derby on 2nd May, and addressed by the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West, were paid for by the organisers of the meeting, and stating what was the cost to police funds;
(4) if he will obtain from the Chief Constable a report stating which police force or forces supplied officers for duty at a meeting near Derby on 2nd May which was addresed by the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West, and stating which of these forces are undermanned and to what extent;
(5) if he will obtain from the Chief Constable a report stating the effect which the presence of 150 police officers at the meeting at Derby on 2nd May, addressed by the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West, had on staffing arrangements in the areas from where they were drawn, and stating the extent to which these duties were able to be covered by the remainder of the police force in these areas.
§ Mr. Elystan MorganNo police officers were on duty inside the hall. About 60 men were on duty outside the hall in accordance with arrangements made by the Chief Constable on his own initiative to control traffic and deal with possible264W demonstrations. He had a reserve of 100 officers who would not ordinarily have been on duty.
All the men were drawn from the Derby County and Borough Constabulary, which is 380 below its authorised establishment. They were found by reallocating rest days and there was no reduction in the number of men available for ordinary duties. The cost of transport and subsistence was £62.
There was no request from the organisers for police assistance and no charge was made.