§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average amount of money spent per special constable in the last year for which figures are available; what is the average length of service of each special constable; what percentage of special constables were subsequently recruited as police officers in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [29813]
§ Mr. MichaelNot all this information is available and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In general, the costs of special constables have been absorbed into the operational costs of the police forces and borne by the police fund without being shown separately. The 1995–96 Working Group which reviewed the Special Constabulary concluded that chief officers, police authorities and the general public should be able to know the costs involved and recommended that these costs should be identified under separate item headings in force financial plans, statements and annual reports. We have commended this practice to chief officers.
Details of the length of service of special constables are not collected centrally. However, a straw poll of 20 forces two years ago indicated that the average length of service was about four years. A significant number of specials leave to join the regular police force. During visits to meet officers in a number of police forces in "Specials Week" recently, I was struck by the number of long serving specials and the positive spirit of teamwork with their regular colleagues.
The percentage of special constables who joined the regular force in the last five years was as follows:
- 1992: 2.9 per cent.
- 1993: 2.4 per cent.
678W
Special constables in post in England and Wales Forces Dec '92 Dec '93 Mar '95 Mar '96 Mar '97 Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Avon and Somerset 465 247 508 262 420 231 426 262 424 205 Bedfordshire 119 80 113 79 107 82 103 86 104 78 Cambridgeshire 120 62 153 92 174 105 177 98 195 108 Cheshire 183 91 238 149 207 114 184 90 292 183 City of London 75 10 67 22 60 23 56 21 60 26 Cleveland 127 68 158 74 137 75 132 63 109 51 Cumbria 145 85 161 87 160 81 140 61 125 64 Derbyshire 218 117 271 152 287 147 282 131 297 131 Devon and Cornwall 576 370 664 403 697 445 688 414 708 440 Dorset 156 107 141 98 138 83 163 91 167 122 Durham 121 82 154 104 119 81 114 73 105 79 Dyfed-Powys 178 82 191 80 205 97 200 114 165 118 Essex 503 256 496 255 440 234 403 205 423 211 Gloucestershire 186 88 180 135 215 105 217 116 191 106 Greater Manchester 236 334 365 252 436 332 422 324 392 293 Gwent 83 18 86 23 97 29 94 42 113 44 Hampshire 386 201 418 193 420 178 369 170 395 216 Hertfordshire 181 66 206 88 225 95 210 105 200 97 Humberside 248 174 274 172 267 160 258 133 224 116 Kent 367 187 387 200 387 182 370 185 398 191 Lancashire 313 226 324 241 335 273 304 227 278 205 Leicestershire 240 139 275 117 245 111 249 111 275 140 Lincolnshire 255 161 247 136 220 102 210 89 193 78 Merseyside 248 119 259 130 237 147 205 138 244 157 Metropolitan Police 982 507 1,056 559 1,015 535 1,188 653 1,127 587 Norfolk 226 120 241 125 234 111 210 109 260 142 North Wales 172 123 179 119 169 119 205 127 216 125 North Yorkshire 215 173 244 253 217 164 201 159 213 149 Northamptonshire 192 110 219 111 201 102 190 99 209 107 Northumbria 295 217 309 208 319 187 310 161 367 166
- 1994–95: 2.9 per cent.
- 1995–96: 3.2 per cent.
- 1996–97: 3.4 per cent.
Special constables are used to support the work of regular officers, not to replace them. They represent an additional resource for police forces. Specials are not paid and, although there are costs in recruiting, equipping and training them, those costs are minimal compared to the costs of regular officers. The turnover of specials at 20 per cent. per annum compares favourably with other areas of volunteering where the wastage figure can exceed 70 per cent. The resources invested in the specials who subsequently join the regular force are not wasted to the service. Special constables make an excellent, cost effective contribution to policing local communities.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special police constables there were for each police force, by sex and age group, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [29812]
§ Mr. MichaelThe number of special constables in post in each force in England and Wales over the last five years, by sex, is shown in the table. Details of their age groups are not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The percentage of women in the Special Constabulary is 35 per cent. compared with 15 per cent. in the regular force.
Care needs to be taken in interpreting the figures, as a number of forces have been at pains to trim their list to "active" Specials who meet a high level of commitment on a regular basis while high demands are placed on Specials in terms of recruitment and training.
679W
Special constables in post in England and Wales Forces Dec '92 Dec '93 Mar '95 Mar '96 Mar '97 Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Nottinghamshire 354 239 334 217 327 225 320 217 397 223 South Wales 299 133 376 165 333 144 326 135 257 104 South Yorkshire 283 129 317 156 317 135 278 103 224 84 Staffordshire 476 257 493 277 471 254 484 218 451 234 Suffolk 256 130 268 146 272 137 271 136 255 124 Surrey 150 101 145 87 144 94 150 110 199 98 Sussex 345 203 325 187 336 191 317 194 315 157 Thames Valley 400 206 411 212 445 234 493 251 423 233 Warwickshire 249 101 238 112 224 128 221 123 233 148 West Mercia 410 201 432 197 400 182 428 185 402 180 West Midlands 653 302 645 273 578 240 641 256 675 270 West Yorkshire 367 246 423 285 459 318 436 273 441 249 Wiltshire 198 124 213 136 189 129 156 77 105 49 England and Wales Total 12,251 6,992 13,204 7,369 12,885 7,141 12,801 6,935 12,846 6,888