HC Deb 18 July 2001 vol 372 cc278-80W
Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were serving in the Hertsmere division of the Hertfordshire police force on(a) 1 April 2000 and (b) 1 April 2001. [3630]

Mr. Denham

I understand from the Chief Constable that the Hertsmere division had 132 officers on 1 April 2000 and 130 officers on 1 April 2001.

Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many secondees from the Metropolitan police force have returned to the Metropolitan force from Hertsmere in each month since 1 January; how many secondees are due to return; how many officers have been allocated to Hertsmere by the Hertfordshire force to replace them; and how many more it is planned to allocate to Hertsmere to replace the secondees. [3629]

Mr. Denham

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the number of secondees to the Hertfordshire Constabulary who have returned to the Metropolitan police since 1 January is:

Month Number of officers
January 2
February 1
March 2
April 6
May 11
June 9

All secondees are expected to return to the Metropolitan police by 31 March 2002.

I am told by the Chief Constable of Hertfordshire that the policing structure of the county is changing and will be based on the National Intelligence Model. This means the force will no longer be comparing like with like as the structure in existence on 1 April 2000, when the boundary changes were implemented, will be replaced. The Hertsmere division will be combined with two other divisions to become the Central Area with its management team based in Borehamwood. I am told that between 1 January and 1 July the number of Hertfordshire constables in Hertsmere has been doubled from 18 to 36 as Metropolitan police officers are replaced. The Chief Constable also has a programme in place to post more experienced officers to Hertsmere. He plans to have moved 32 such officers to Hertsmere by 1 October.

The Chief Constable will review the situation on 1 November to assess the requirement for further postings to Hertsmere. At this point there will remain 18 Metropolitan police secondees. Police officers will be deployed throughout the force area to reflect the operational priorities of the force.

Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents of Hertsmere were recruited into(a) the Hertfordshire police and (b) the Metropolitan force in the last year for which figures are available. [3632]

Mr. Denham

I am informed by Hertfordshire Constabulary that in the year 2000–01 three residents of Hertsmere were appointed to the force as new recruits.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) inform me that information about the number of residents from Hertsmere joining the MPS is not regularly recorded.