§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the cost of the central police operation for dealing with miners' pickets and of the number of policemen used in the coalfields.
§ Mr. HurdOn occasion a maximum of approximately 7,000 officers from other forces have been deployed to assist forces to perform duties related to the current miners dispute. In addition, large numbers of local police officers have been deployed. Information about total deployments is not available. No estimate of the cost can yet be made.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any proposals to keep the machinery developed for use in the miners' strike in being on a permament basis.
§ Mr. HurdSection 14(1) of the Police Act 1964 provides that a chief officer of police may request and receive constables or other assistance from other chief officers, to enable him to meet any special demand on his resources. The national reporting centre is helping to coordinate the responses to such requests because so many forces are involved. We have no proposals to amend section 14 of the 1964 Act. The centre is activated only when the need arises.