§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the total number of guns held by each police force; and what steps his Department takes to monitor these numbers.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to questions from the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright) on 30 November at column395.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis as to the reasons why the Metropolitan Police now record only the number of operations in which guns are authorised rather than the actual number of weapons issued; if he will seek to change this practice; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggA joint study carried out by Home Office officials and police representatives in 1983 concluded that the figures for the police use of firearms688W collected in 1982 were not reliable because they reflected wide variations in the interpretation of what should and should not be recorded.
As a result all forces were asked to submit to the Home Office annually details of the number of operations and not occasions in which firearms were issued. A more detailed compilation of firearms statistics has been considered but no justification could be found for the considerable extra resources such an elaborate system would require both within police forces and the Home Office. There are no plans at present to change the criteria for recording statistics relating to the issue and use of police firearms.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in Leicestershire were issued with firearms in the last year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggIn 1986, the latest year for which figures are available, 58 officers of Leicestershire constabulary were issued with firearms.