HC Deb 30 October 1997 vol 299 cc844-5W
Mr. Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police constables were in post(a) in May 1992 and (b) in May 1997. [13318]

Mr. Michael

At the end of April 1992, there were 95,810 constables in England and Wales. By the end of March 1997, the latest date for which figures are available, this had increased by 2,322 to 98,132. Between March 1996 and March 1997, overall police numbers fell by 469 to 127,158.