HC Deb 21 February 2000 vol 344 cc825-30W
Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimates he has received from each police force of total wastage in police numbers for the three years commencing in April 2000; [110977]

(2) what estimates he has received from each police force of the actual wastage in police numbers for the three years commencing in April 2000. [110755]

Mr. Charles Clarke

In their bids for a share of the recruitment scheme of the Crime Fighting Fund, forces provided information on their projected wastage over the next three years. The table shows the estimates they have given for (i) wastage in terms of losses to each force and the Police Service as a whole; and (ii) projected transfers (i.e. transfers from each force into another), for the next three years. The latter are not losses to the Service.

Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what(a) total wastage and (b) actual wastage in police numbers has taken place since March 1999 on a monthly basis in respect of each police force. [110972]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Wastage figures for the police are not collected on a monthly basis. The numbers of officers who left police forces between April and September 1999 are given in the table. These figures do not reflect recruitment to forces during this period.

Police strength in England and Wales: Wastage (April 1999 to September 1999)1
Police force Number of officers
Avon and Somerset 60
Bedfordshire 31
Cambridgeshire 28
Cheshire 39
City of London 31
Cleveland 34
Cumbria 35
Derbyshire 21
Devon and Cornwall 65
Dorset 36
Durham 25
Dyfed-Powys 19
Essex 99
Gloucestershire 30
Greater Manchester 155
Gwent 40
Hampshire 111
Hertfordshire 50
Humberside 48
Kent 64
Lancashire 54
Leicestershire 36
Lincolnshire 29
Merseyside 85
Metropolitan Police 715
Norfolk 28
Northamptonshire 16
Northumbria 62
North Wales 26
North Yorkshire 33
Nottinghamshire 45
South Wales 95
South Yorkshire 63
Staffordshire 39
Suffolk 29
Surrey 35
Sussex 88
Thames Valley 90
Warwickshire 21
West Mercia 57
West Midlands 157
West Yorkshire 105
Wiltshire 25
NCS 137
NCIS 14
Total all forces 3,105
1 Wastage includes retirements, dismissals, deaths and departures for other reasons

Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2000, to the hon. Member for Elmet (Mr. Burgon),Official Report, column 172W, of the 12,478 police officers, how many are planned to be recruited by each force in each of the three years commencing in April. [110754]

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Elmet (Mr. Burgon) of 9 February 2000,Official Report, column 172W, on police officer recruitment, if he will give a breakdown for each police force, in each year, of the officers they are planning to recruit over the next three years; for what reason the estimated figure of general police recruitment over the next three years is lower than the estimate he gave in October 1999 to the Home Affairs Committee; and if he will make a statement. [110743]

Mr. Charles Clarke

In their bids for a share of the recruitment scheme of the Crime Fighting Fund, forces provided information on their planned recruitment over the next three years. The table shows the projected appointments on probation and transfers in from other forces.

Actual recruitment levels will depend on the chief officer's decisions in the light of the available resources—including the outcome of the 2000 Spending Review now under way.

When my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary spoke to the Home Affairs Committee on 26 October last year, the best estimate at that time for the recruitment of new officers to the police service over the next three years was based on projecting forward past trends and suggested between a little over 13,000 and 16,500, but crucially, depending on the assumptions made about the impact of future budget pressures. Professor Buck independently verified these figures and thought that taking 15,000 as an indicative figure for planning purposes was not unreasonable. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary said that we would be seeking more specific information from forces about their recruitment plans.

In bidding for a share of the Fund, forces were asked for details of the numbers of officers (new to the service) that they were planning to recruit over the next three years. Their projections come to 12,478.

Forces' projections reflect the decisions and assumptions they and their police authorities have made about the way in which they will use the resources available to them, not just next year but in the two following years, where budgets have yet to be settled.

Projected police officer recruitment—2000–03
Force 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Total
Projected appointments on probation
Avon and Somerset 65 80 80 225
Bedfordshire 52 52 52 156
Cambridgeshire 101 52 47 200
Cheshire 70 76 73 219
City of London 50 52 52 154
Cleveland 59 51 47 157
Cumbria 5 60 60 125
Derbyshire 36 60 48 144
Devon and Cornwall 88 48 70 206
Dorset 42 36 31 109
Durham 46 53 51 150
Dyfed-Powys 34 36 34 104
Essex 200 113 115 428
Gloucestershire 90 70 70 230
Greater Manchester 244 279 257 780
Gwent 0 74 51 125
Hampshire 170 152 170 492
Hertfordshire 114 128 116 358
Humberside 0 0 0 0
Projected police officer recruitment—2000–03
Force 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Total
Kent 145 60 139 344
Lancashire 80 80 80 240
Leicestershire 71 83 94 248
Lincolnshire 55 55 45 155
Merseyside 40 40 40 120
Metropolitan 692 346 600 1,638
Norfolk 20 31 29 80
North Wales 57 57 57 171
North Yorkshire 60 63 60 183
Northamptonshire 27 37 40 104
Northumbria 154 137 134 425
Nottinghamshire 87 73 73 233
South Wales 192 162 162 516
South Yorkshire 80 80 80 240
Staffordshire 11 34 68 113
Suffolk 16 36 55 107
Surrey 145 212 100 457
Sussex 160 160 160 480
Thames Valley 180 175 166 521
Warwickshire 48 48 48 144
West Mercia1 66 50 90 206
West Midlands 330 330 330 990
West Yorkshire 105 105 105 315
Wiltshire 28 27 31 86
Total 4,315 3,953 4,210 12,478
Projected Transfers in
Avon and Somerset 25 25 25 75
Bedfordshire 2 2 2 6
Cambridgeshire 15 15 15 45
Cheshire 10 10 10 30
City of London 0 0 0 0
Cleveland 12 13 12 37
Cumbria 0 0 0 0
Derbyshire 4 16 11 31
Devon and Cornwall 20 20 20 60
Dorset 32 36 30 98
Durham 8 8 8 24
Dyfed-Powys 10 10 10 30
Essex 10 10 10 30
Gloucestershire 5 5 5 15
Greater Manchester 10 10 10 30
Gwent 0 8 6 14
Hampshire 20 15 15 50
Hertfordshire 14 14 14 42
Humberside 0 0 0 0
Kent 15 15 15 45
Lancashire 6 6 6 18
Leicestershire 9 9 9 27
Lincolnshire 15 11 10 36
Merseyside 10 10 10 30
Metropolitan 15 15 15 45
Norfolk 12 12 12 36
North Wales 5 5 5 15
North Yorkshire 15 10 15 40
Northamptonshire 5 6 7 18
Northumbria 0 0 0 0
Nottinghamshire 11 11 11 33
South Wales 12 12 12 36
South Yorkshire 12 12 12 36
Staffordshire 0 5 10 15
Suffolk 4 4 4 12
Surrey 37 50 30 117
Sussex 15 15 15 45
Thames Valley 5 5 5 15
Warwickshire 0 0 0 0
West Mercia1 10 10 10 30
West Midlands 20 20 20 60
West Yorkshire 10 10 10 30
Wiltshire 8 8 8 24
Total 448 478 454 1,380
Projected police officer recruitment—2000–03
Force 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Total
Total projected appointments on probation plus Transfers in
Avon and Somerset 90 105 105 300
Bedfordshire 54 54 54 162
Cambridgeshire 116 67 62 245
Cheshire 80 86 83 249
City of London 50 52 52 154
Cleveland 71 64 59 194
Cumbria 5 60 60 125
Derbyshire 40 76 59 175
Devon and Cornwall 108 68 90 266
Dorset 74 72 61 207
Durham 54 61 59 174
Dyfed-Powys 44 46 44 134
Essex 210 123 125 458
Gloucestershire 95 75 75 145
Greater Manchester 254 289 267 810
Gwent 0 82 57 139
Hampshire 190 167 185 542
Hertfordshire 128 142 130 400
Humberside 0 0 0 0
Kent 160 75 154 389
Lancashire 86 86 86 258
Leicestershire 80 92 103 275
Lincolnshire 70 66 55 191
Merseyside 50 50 50 150
Metropolitan 707 361 615 1,683
Norfolk 32 43 41 116
North Wales 62 62 62 186
North Yorkshire 75 73 75 223
Northamptonshire 32 43 47 122
Northumbria 154 137 134 425
Nottinghamshire 98 84 84 266
South Wales 204 174 174 552
South Yorkshire 92 92 92 276
Staffordshire 11 39 78 128
Suffolk 20 40 59 119
Surrey 182 262 130 574
Sussex 175 175 175 525
Thames Valley 185 180 171 536
Warwickshire 48 48 48 144
West Mercia1 76 60 100 236
West Midlands 350 350 350 1,050
West Yorkshire 115 115 115 345
Wiltshire 36 35 39 110
Total 4,763 4,431 4,664 13,858
1 West Mercia uncertain about level of budget: 31 or 66 will be recruited in 2000–01.