HC Deb 08 January 2001 vol 360 c409W
13. Mr. Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of total natural wastage of police officer numbers in(a) the current year and (b) next year. [142656]

Mr. Straw

In their bids for a share of the recruitment scheme of the crime fighting fund, forces provided information on their projected wastage. Those projections were for total wastage, excluding transfers, of 5,366 officers in 2000–01 and 5,425 officers in 2001–02. Overall wastage has declined in the last three years from 5.2 per cent. to 4.7 per cent., and it is about half the level of the civil service.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in(a) Wales and (b) England at the latest date for which figures are available. [144063]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The latest information on police numbers is that for 30 September 2000 and is set out in the table.

Total number of police officers
Wales 6,738
England 115,492
Seconded officers1 2,384
Total for England and Wales 124,614
1Seconded officers are those attached to the National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service and to central services, such as National Police Training