§ Mr. TrotterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he was consulted by the chief constable of Northumbria before he decided not to fill 116 police posts.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe chief constable of Northumbria informed us of several measures, including manpower reductions, which he thought might be necessary if his police authority set a budget below the provisional charge capping criteria. My right hon. Friend made it clear to the chairman of the police authority and the chief constable in a letter sent on 18 February that he expected metropolitan police authorities to set their budgets at a level which maintained operational police manpower at the level which he and his predecessors had approved.