§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current expenditure by the Metropolitan police, expressed in terms of pound sterling per crime cleared up; and how this figure compares with the same cost per crime cleared up in the metropolitan counties.
§ Mr. HurdBased on the net relevant expenditure of the forces concerned for 1982–83 and clear-up rates for 1982, the information requested is as follows:
£ Metropolitan Police 5,578 Metropolitan counties (excluding Tyne and Wear) 1,461 These figures provide no basic for comparison. The figure for the Metropolitan police reflects, among other differences, the higher rate of pay, allowances and accommodation costs in London, the higher ratio of police officers to population—1:268 in London against 1:391 in the metropolitan counties — and the additional national functions performed by the Metropolitan police.