§ Mr. Cyril Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles of each type are in the service of each police authority; how many of each type in each authority area have been involved in accidents in each year since 1970; how many deaths have resulted from such accidents in each of the years; and on how many occasions 23W subsequent inquiry has shown the police vehicle driver to be at fault.
Force Cars Motor Cycles Others (including all Regional Crime Squad Vehicles) Total Avon & Somerset … … … 350 74 179 603 Bedfordshire … … … 110 35 28 173 Cambridgeshire … … … 206 16 23 245 Cheshire … … … 274 49 71 394 Cleveland … … … 132 10 71 213 Cumbria … … … 97 54 114 265 Derbyshire … … … 100 23 159 282 Devon & Cornwall … … … 453 90 38 581 Dorset … … … 46 42 100 188 Durham … … … 168 28 94 290 Dyfed Powys … … … 99 22 48 169 Essex … … … 284 91 170 545 Gloucestershire … … … 93 118 101 312 Greater Manchester … … … 750 79 209 1,038 Gwent … … … 97 21 46 164 Hampshire … … … 371 275 192 838 Hertfordshire … … … 220 75 79 374 Humberside … … … 165 25 122 312 Kent … … … 231 299 255 785 Lancashire … … … 338 71 179 588 Leicestershire … … … 123 84 148 355 Lincolnshire … … … 119 28 149 296 Merseyside … … … 303 92 103 498 Norfolk … … … 76 57 145 278 Northamptonshire … … … 134 26 49 209 Northumbria … … … 306 22 221 549 North Wales … … … 74 53 133 260 North Yorkshire … … … 131 71 128 276 Nottinghamshire … … … 229 74 120 423 South Wales … … … 339 51 137 527 South Yorkshire … … … 272 31 140 443 Staffordshire … … … 222 118 182 522 Suffolk … … … 114 30 80 224 Surrey … … … 147 42 59 248 Sussex … … … 362 180 136 678 Thames Valley … … … 404 108 227 739 Warwiskchire … … … 130 61 56 247 West Mercia … … … 80 35 354 469 West Midlands … … … 410 153 151 714 West Yorkshire … … … 545 48 189 782 Wiltshire … … … 134 37 86 257 Metropolitan … … … 1,986 479 961 3,426 City of London … … … 16 21 25 62 In the most recent full year (1973) for which records are available, the number of accidents involving police vehicles and the number in which a police officer was reckoned to be blameworthy were as follows:
24W
Force Area Number of Accidents Police Blameworthy Avon & Somerset 373 117 Bedfordshire 142 65 Cambridgeshire 171 67 Cheshire 278 83 Cleveland 131 62 Cumbria 111 56 Derbyshire 240 114 Devon & Cornwall 394 180 Dorset 186 85 Durham 284 79 Dyfed Powys 54 17 Essex 310 127 Gloucestershire 178 103
§ Dr. SummerskillPolice authorities' vehicle establishments are as follows:
25W
Greater Manchester 1 324 107 Gwent 132 68 Hampshire 311 128 Hertfordshire 256 140 Humberside 2 108 55 Kent 385 311 Lancashire 3 872 450 Leicestershire 151 58 Lincolnshire 216 104 Merseyside 181 41 Norfolk 185 120 Northamptonshire 122 61 Northumbria 368 118 North Wales 120 33 North Yorkshire 265 158 Nottinghamshire 334 115 South Wales 299 86 South Yorkshire 4 198 108 Staffordshire 512 172 Suffolk 199 80 Surrey 163 72 Sussex 576 233 Thames Valley 486 172
Warwickshire 318 89 West Mercia 153 60 West Midlands 946 358 West Yorkshire 5 512 185 Wiltshire 124 25 Metropolitan 2,439 1,295 City of London 43 16 1–5 As a result of reorganisation, figures for 1973 in these force areas are not available. The figures given are for 1972 and relate to the following force areas then in existence: 1 Manchester and Salford 2 Kingston upon Hull 3 Lancashire 4 Sheffield and Rotherham 5 West Yorkshire The other information sought is not readily available.