§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make additional resources available to North Wales constabulary to provide for a significant increase in the number of police officers on the beat. [13326]
§ Mr. MichaelThe North Wales Police Authority's spending capacity for 1997–98 was increased by 3.9 per cent. (£2.7 million) to £72 million, which was above the national average. No final decisions have been taken about the allocation of funding to police authorities for 1998–99. The Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 removed decisions about police numbers from the hands of the Home Secretary.
It is now for individual chief constables and police authorities to determine the number of police officers in each force, having regard to the resources available to them. At the end of March 1997, North Wales Police had 62.4 per cent. of strength deployed to patrol duties. This is significantly better than the average for England and Wales of 57.6 per cent. This Government will do all that it can to relieve the police of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens to allow chief constables to put more officers back on the beat.