§ Mr. Wheelerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the most recent 12-month period, in the 279W Metropolitan police district, how many persons have been detained in police stations without charge for over 96 hours, 48 hours, over 24 hours, and less than six hours.
§ Mr. HurdThe information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but the available information from a special survey conducted by the Metropolitan Police is given in the following table.
Persons detained in police stations before charge Metropolitan Police district, third quarter 1982 Period detained Number of persons Percentages Up to 24 hours 81,465 98.4 Over 24 hours up to 48 hours 1,309 1.6 Over 48 hours up to 72 hours 20 — Over 72 hours up to 96 hours 4 — Over 96 hours 0 — Total 82,798 100 — less than 0.05 per cent. Other evidence suggests that in England and Wales as a whole about 75 per cent. of persons detained are charged within six hours.