§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recruits to the North Yorkshire police will be made possible by the Rural Police Grant; how long the Rural Police Grant will be in force; and how police salaries will be financed once the Rural Police Grant expires. [2348]
§ Mr. DenhamPolice Authorities and Chief Constables may use their rural policing fund allocations as they judge best to improve policing in sparsely populated areas. The Chief Constable of North York s[ire plans to recruit 60 officers.
£15 million was made available to forces for rural policing in 2000–01. The allocation will be £30 million this year and in each of the next two years. Provision thereafter is one of the matters which will be considered during the next spending review.