§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the criticisms made by Sir Colin Woods, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, on the rise in crime and the failure of the police to arrest the growth of crime.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesHer Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary rightly drew attention in his annual report to the rise in recorded crime as one of several additional burdens borne by the police in 1977. The Government have repeatedly recognised those burdens and shown their determination to reinforce the police to deal with them, most recently by the decisions which I announced on 17th July on the implementation of the recommendations of the Edmund-Davies committee for substantial increases in police pay. As Her Majesty's Chief Inspector also recognised in his annual report, however, it is not to the police alone that we must look for efforts to arrest the growth in crime, and others in the community have an important part to play.
Force Date Strength Bedfordshire and Luton Constabulary … … 31st December 1970 … … 697 Bedfordshire Police … … … … 31st December 1974 … … 789 Bedfordshire Police … … … … 31st December 1977 … … 859 Bedfordshire Police … … … … 30th June 1978 … … … 852
§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total strength of the police forces of England and Wales outside the Metro