§ Mr. ChurchillTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 3 July,Official Report, column 29, when the advertisements aimed at recruiting 30,000 special constables were first placed;' when the first responses were received; and how many have thus far been recruited. [33242]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 10 July 1995]: A pilot exercise was undertaken in the Granada region in April 1994, and the campaign was launched nationally in October. Advertisements first appeared on television and in the local press on 27 October 1994 and there was an immediate response. In the first two days —27 and 28 October —1,839 inquiries were received and more than 38,500 inquiries have been made to date. Feedback from police forces on the number of special constables recruited as a result of the advertising is incomplete and we are currently considering what steps need to be taken to improve our information. I shall write again as soon as I have the numbers.