§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many traffic police officers were deployed(a) five years ago and (b) at the latest available date in (i) each of the Metropolitan Police divisions, (ii) Surrey, (iii) Thames Valley and (iv) the United Kingdom. [61723]
§ Kate HoeyThe information for England and Wales is set out in the table. The numbers of traffic police officers in Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. Within the Metropolitan Police, traffic officers are deployed at an area level, rather than at divisional level.
Traffic policing does not necessarily occur independently of other police work, and the number of officers deployed to the traffic division is not indicative 191W of the money spent on traffic policing. A large part of traffic officers' time is spent dealing with ordiary crime. It is an advantage that traffic officers deal with matters
Total police assigned to the traffic function Forces Year 1993–94 Year 1994–95 Year 1995–96 Year 1996–97 Year 1997–98 Metropolitan Police—1 Area 153 123 130 120 119 Metropolitan Police—2 Area 117 165 153 195 139 Metropolitan Police—3 Area 89 272 211 225 225 Metropolitan Police—4 Area 79 131 131 124 122 Metropolitan Police—5 Area 162 261 292 252 218 Metropolitan Police—6 Area 140 — — — — Metropolitan Police—7 Area 119 — — — — Metropolitan Police—8 Area 95 — — — — Metropolitan Police HQ 55 51 0 6 0 Total Metropolitan Police 1,009 1,003 917 922 823 Surrey 209 192 198 199 176 Thames Valley 345 335 288 268 273 England and Wales Total 8,657 8,421 8,078 8,142 7,951 Note:
The Metropolitan Police moved from having 8 Areas in 1993–94 to 5 Areas from 1994–1995 onwards