§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces outside the metropolitan area have held prisoners in police cells in 1985; and what are the age, sex and location of the prisoners concerned.
§ Mr. MellorBetween 1 May and 18 October 1985 prisoners were held in police cells by provincial forces as follows:
Adult males Under 21 males Adult females Under 21 females Bedfordshire — — 2 — Cambridgeshire — — 4 1 Dorset — — 1 — Essex 54 3 2 1 Hampshire — — 11 — Hertfordshire 23 20 2 — Kent 1,256 776 3 1 Leicestershire — — 5 3 Norfolk — — 2 — Northamptonshire — — 1 — Suffolk — — 1 — Surrey 11 2 2 — Sussex — — 6 — Thames Valley — — 74 6 Total 1,344 801 116 12 The high level of occupancy of police cells in Kent was the result of an industrial dispute at Canterbury prison, which has now been resolved.
Further information is not available centrally.
For information about numbers between 1 January and 30 April I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question on 8 May at column 408.