Police Service

HC Deb 18 June 1991 vol 193 cc97-9W

Ms. Richardson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest available figures for (i) the total numbers of people employed in the police service broken down by(a) occupation, (b) grade, (c) gender and (d) ethnic background, (ii) the percentage increase of women employed in the service between 1978 and the latest available figures broken down by occupation and grade and (iii) the percentage increase of ethnic minorities employed in the service between 1978 and the latest available figures broken down by occupation and grade.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The percentage increase in the number of women police officers between 1978 and February 1991 was 71.6 per cent. The percentage increase in the ethnic minority representation in the police service between 1985, when records were first kept, and February 1991 was 92.5 per cent. The tables show what is available from central records. To provide figures by occupation, by rank and gender, could be done only at disproportionate cost.

(i) Police strength as at 28 February 1991
	Police strength1	Ethnic minorities
Male Ranks
Chief Constable	48	0
Deputy Chief Constable	59	0
Assistant Chief Constable	136	0
Chief Superintendent	593	0
Superintendent	1,521	2
Chief Inspector	2,322	1
Inspector	6,790	16
Sergeant	19,259	74
Constable	82,003	1,076
Total male ranks	112,731	1,169
Female Ranks
Chief Constable	0	0
Deputy Chief Constable	0	0

	Police strength1	Ethnic minorities
Assistant Chief Constable	1	0
Chief Superintendent	11	0
Superintendent	29	0
Chief Inspector	55	0
Inspector	186	0
Sergeant	873	2
Constable	13,526	295
Total female ranks	14,681	297
Total police ranks	127,412	1,466

(ii) Women police officers: strength 31 December 1978 and 28 February 1991 by rank
	1978	1991
Assistant Chief Constable	—	1
Chief Superintendent	11	11
Superintendent	33	29
Chief Inspector	55	55
Inspector	133	186
Sergeant	407	873
Constable	7,916	13,526

(iii) Ethnic minority police officers: strength at 31 December 19852and 28 February 1991 by rank
	1985	1991
Superintendent	1	2
Chief Inspector	—	1
Inspector	5	16
Sergeant	44	76
Constable	711	1,371

(iv) Deployment of police officers as at 31 December 1990 by gender and ethnic minority
Deployment4	Male	Female	Ethnic minorities3
Patrol	54,802	8,128	909
Special Branch/Protection	3,019	211	13
Crime (CID)	16,771	1,855	121
Community relations5	2,043	343	8
Traffic	8,556	397	17
Other operations	13,473	1,707	111
Training	2,267	880	77
Management	7,948	935	118
1 Includes ethnic minority officers.
2 Records not kept prior to 1985.
3 Ethnic minority classification not held centrally.
4 Occupational categories identified by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.
5 In the Metropolitan Police officers in the ranks of constable and sergeant are included in patrol.