HC Deb 03 February 1983 vol 36 cc166-7W
Miss Richardson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are authorised to use firearms, as a proportion of force strength, by police force area.

Mr. Mayhew

It is for individual chief officers of police to decide how many police officers should be authorised to use firearms. Figures are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Miss Richardson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in the Metropolitan police are routinely armed as part of their duties.

Mr. Mayhew

It would not be in the interests of security to publish these figures.

Miss Richardson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state, by police force area and for each year since 1960, the number of occasions upon which guns have been fired at members of the police force, and the number of injuries or fatalities sustained.

Mr. Mayhew

The information readily available is given in the tables:

1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
Police force area Fired Caused injury Fired Caused injury Fired Caused injury Fired Caused injury Fired Caused injury Fired Caused injury Fired Caused injury
South Yorkshire 1 1 2 1
Staffordshire 1
Surrey 3 3 1
Sussex 1 1 2 1
Thames Valley 2 2
Warwickshire 2 1 1
West Mercia 1 1 3
West Midlands 1 1 3 2
West Yorkshire 1 1 1 1 1 1
Wiltshire 1
Dyfed Powys 1
North Wales 1 1 1
South Wales 1 1 1 1
Total 42 ‡29 19 6 19 9 19 8 19 9 26 13 18 9
* These figures may not include cases in which police officers were fired at while investigating offences against other persons.
† Includes one fatal injury.
‡ Includes two fatal injuries.

Table 2
Offences currently recorded as homicide where the victim was a police officer on duty and the method of killing was shooting by police force area and year
England and Wales Number of persons
Year Number of offences (victims) Police force area
1960
1961 2 MPD†
1962
1963
1964
1965 1 Westmorland*
1966 3 MPD‡
1967
1968
1969
1970 1 West Yorkshire*
1971 2 Thames Valley*, Lancashire*
1972 1 Warwickshire*
1973 1 Devon and Cornwall*
1974 1 Surrey*
1975 †2 MPD*
Leicestershire*
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982* 3 Durham,* North Yorkshire†
* Provisional.
† Included in Table 1.