§ 49. Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why there has been a fall of approximately one-fifth in the strength of police cadets; and what restrictions have been placed on recruiting.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe reduction is the cumulative result of decisions by individual authorities on how many cadets they should recruit. In taking decisions, authorities take into account the number of regular police officers they wish to gain from this source, and the financial implications. As part of the measures needed to keep total expenditure on the police during 1977–78 within the Government's public expenditure plans we have had to ask police authorities to restrict recruitment of cadets, so as to reduce cadet strengths by 31st March 1978 to 55 per cent. of strength at 30th September 1974 unless equivalent financial savings can be found elsewhere in their budgets.