§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) funded and (b) actual police officers were in post in the Essex constabulary on (i) 31 March 1997 and (ii) the latest date for which figures are available. [148699]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 6 February 2001]: The information requested has been provided by the chief constable of the Essex police.
Essex police Year Funded officer numbers Actual Police number 31 March 1997 2,944 2,952 7 February 2001 2,955 2,907
§ Mr.BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian staff were employed by Essex constabulary(a) on 31 March 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [148701]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 6 February 2001]: On 31 March 1997 the Essex police had 1,199 civilian support staff. This had increased by 273 to 1,472 civilian staff on 30 September 2000. Many of the extra civilian support staff have, I understand, been used to free police officers from paperwork and from jobs that can be as effectively undertaken by civilians.