HC Deb 02 July 2001 vol 371 c51W
16. Ms Ward

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase recruitment in the Hertfordshire constabulary. [628]

Mr. Denham

Under the Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) recruitment initiative, Hertfordshire constabulary has been allocated a total of 107 additional officers, over and above the force's previous recruitment plans for the three years to March 2003.

I know that the force has been experiencing difficulty in attracting recruits and was not able to recruit any of its CFF allocation in 2000–01. In recognition of these difficulties, the force has been allowed to defer its allocation from 2000–01 into 2001–02. The force will now be able to recruit up to 70 officers through the CFF in 2001–02.

On 12 March my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary announced that he had agreed to the Police Negotiating Board's recommendation for new allowances for certain officers serving in a number of forces in the south-east. The affected officers are those appointed since 1 September 1994 and not in receipt of Housing Allowance. For such officers in Hertfordshire the new allowance is £2,000 per annum. It has been payable since 1 April 2001.

All police forces, including Hertfordshire, also benefit from the national recruitment advertising campaign, which was launched in August 2000.