HL Deb 28 June 2001 vol 626 cc22-7WA
Baroness Massey of Darwen

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many police officers and civilian staff there are in total and in each police force in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available. [HL115]

Lord Rooker

The attached tables show, for March 1997, March 2000, September 2000 and March 2001, total numbers of police officers and civilians for each police authority area in England and Wales, together with changes in numbers since March 1997 and March 2000.

On 31 March 2001, total police numbers, including secondments, in England and Wales were 125,519, an increase of 1,349, or 1.1 per cent, compared with the end of March 2000. This is the largest annual increase in police numbers since 1988–89.

Between 31 March 2000 and 31 March 2001, the number of civilian support staff increased by 1,361, or 2.6 per cent, to 54,588.

In total, there were 180,107 police officers and civilian support staff, compared with 180,169 in March 1997.

Police Strength
GOR Police force Strength 31.3.97 fte Strength 31.3.00 fte Strength 30.9.00 fte Strength 31.3.01 fte Change Mar 97–Mar 01 number fte Change Mar 00–Mar01 number fte
North East 6,597 6,749 6,820 6,859 262 110
Cleveland 1,459 1,404 1,421 1,407 -52 3
Durham 1,461 1,558 1,581 1,595 135 37
Northumbria 3,677 3,788 3,816 3,857 180 69
North West 17,588 17,153 17,110 17,295 -293 142
Cheshire 2,046 2,011 2,000 2,002 -44 -9
Cumbria 1,144 1,084 1,048 1,048 -96 -36
Gtr Manchester 6,922 6,795 6,767 6,909 -13 115
Lancashire 3,247 3,179 3,215 3,255 8 76
Merseyside 4,230 4,085 4,081 4,081 -149 -4
Yorkshire and the Humber 11,750 11,200 11,189 11,234 -516 34
Humberside 2,045 1,932 1,905 1,917 -128 -15
North Yorkshire 1,338 1,283 1,293 1,305 -33 22
South Yorkshire 3,159 3,163 3,184 3,197 38 34
West Yorkshire 5,209 4,822 4,806 4,815 -394 -7
East Midlands 8,436 8,206 8,350 8,427 -9 221
Derbyshire 1,791 1,777 1,780 1,823 32 46
Leicestershire 1,949 1,993 2,010 2,033 84 40
Lincolnshire 1,196 1,115 1,162 1,202 6 87
Northamptonshire 1,177 1,117 1,166 1,157 -20 40
Nottinghamshire 2,323 2,204 2,232 2,212 -111 8
West Midlands 12,290 12,151 12,324 12,429 139 279
Staffordshire 2,211 2,170 2,157 2,129 -82 -41
Warwickshire 926 900 912 926 0 26
West Mercia 2,040 1,887 1,906 1,951 -89 64
West Midlands 7,113 7,194 7,350 7,423 310 229
Eastern 9,727 9,364 9,515 9,694 -33 330
Bedfordshire 1,094 1,028 1,006 1,036 -58 8
Cambridgeshire 1,302 1,237 1,266 1,296 -6 59
Essex (1) 2,961 2,806 2,780 2,887 -74 81
Hertfordshire (1) 1,759 1,767 1,961 1,922 163 155
Norfolk 1,432 1,381 1,387 1,420 -12 39
Suffolk 1,180 1,145 1,115 1,133 -47 -12
London 27,536 26,216 25,415 25,581 -1,955 -635
City of London 859 732 720 703 -156 -29
Metropolitan Police (1) 26,677 25,485 24,695 24,878 -1,799 -507
South East 15,111 14,971 15,347 15,378 267 407
Hampshire 3,452 3,419 3,435 3,435 -17 16
Kent 3,260 3,204 3,239 3,319 59 115
Surrey (1) 1,620 1,785 2,113 2,066 446 281
Sussex 3,085 2,822 2,812 2,855 -230 33
Thames Valley 3,695 3,740 3,748 3,703 8 -37
South West 9,424 9,313 9.354 9,541 117 228
Avon & Somerset 2,989 2,934 2,941 2,960 -29 26
Devon & Cornwall 2,865 2,841 2,873 2,934 70 93
Dorset 1,284 1,306 1,299 1,354 70 48
Gloucestershire 1,133 1,114 1,142 1,173 40 59
Wiltshire 1,154 1,118 1,099 1,120 -34 2

The substantial investment we are putting into the police services is delivering the improvements that we promised. The increase in police numbers since March 2000 is a direct result of the extra funding available to forces via the Crime Fighting Fund since April 2000.

Police Strength
GOR Police force Strength 31.3.97 fte Strength 31.3.00 fte Strength 30.9.00 fte Strength 31.3.01 fte Change Mar 97–Mar 01 number fte Change Mar 00–Mar 01 number fte
Wales 6,592 6,632 6,738 6,873 281 341
Dyfed Powys 1,005 1,040 1,045 1,055 51 15
Gwent 1,243 1,264 1,271 1,274 31 10
North Wales 1,369 1,403 1,393 1,444 75 41
South Wales 2,976 2,926 3,029 3,100 124 174
England & Wales (exc secondments) 125,051 121,956 122,163 123,313 -1,738 1,357
Total secondments 2,107 2,214 2,384 2,206 99 -8
Total (incl secondments) 127,158 124,170 124,547 125,519 -1,621 1,349

Notes:

1. As of April 2000, the Metropolitan Police force was reduced in size by a transfer of responsibility for policing some arcs to the surrounding forces of Surrey, Hertfordshire and Essex. These changes need to be borne in mind when comparing figures for these forces before and after April 2000.

2. Because of rounding, constituent parts may not necessarily sum to the totals.

Civilian Staff (excluding traffic wardens)
GOR Police force Strength 31.3.97 fte Strength 31.3.00 fte Strength 30.9.00 fte Strength 31.3.01 fte Change Mar 97–Mar 01 number fte Change Mar 00–Mar 01 number fte
North East 2,557 2,603 2,583 2,568 11 -35
Cleveland 609 595 598 586 -23 -9
Durham 583 590 573 566 -17 -24
Northumbria 1,365 1,417 1,413 1,416 51 -1
North West 6,267 6,994 7,007 7,066 799 72
Cheshire 735 823 870 833 98 10
Cumbria 451 469 505 588 137 119
Gtr Manchester 2,612 2,822 2,845 2,858 246 36
Lancashire 1,126 1,422 1,351 1,369 243 -53
Merseyside 1,343 1,458 1,437 1,418 75 -40
Yorkshire and the Humber 4,762 4,922 4,923 4,939 177 17
Humberside 718 840 783 808 90 -32
North Yorkshire 519 492 533 591 72 99
South Yorkshire 1,291 1,391 1,399 1,312 22 -79
West Yorkshire 2,234 2,199 2,208 2,228 -6 29
East Midlands 3,555 3,769 4,039 3,975 420 206
Derbyshire 723 826 865 875 152 49
Leicestershire 755 805 808 806 51 2
Lincolnshire 521 516 554 561 40 45
Northamptonshire 554 599 648 694 141 95
Nottinghamshire 1,003 1,024 987 1,039 36 15
West Midlands 4,819 4,991 5,132 5,261 442 270
Staffordshire 763 858 897 935 173 77
Warwickshire 376 394 388 412 36 18
West Mercia 942 1,043 1,026 1,095 153 52
West Midlands 2,739 2,695 2,821 2,819 81 124
Eastern 4,234 4,485 4,699 4,802 568 317
Bedfordshire 484 490 488 491 7 1
Cambridgeshire 607 503 543 614 7 111
Essex (1) 1,199 1,348 1,472 1,447 248 99
Hertfordshire (1) 818 890 948 935 117 45
Norfolk 603 655 651 694 91 39
Suffolk 522 600 592 621 99 21
London 13,840 10,890 10,382 10,273 -3,567 -617
City of London Metropolitan Police 347 285 235 233 -114 -52
(1) 13,493 10,605 10,147 10,040 -3,453 -565
South East 6,399 6,966 7,292 7,520 1,121 554
Hampshire 1,316 1,443 1,467 1,482 166 39
Kent 1,384 1,647 1,670 1,796 412 149
Surrey (1) 727 762 865 897 170 135
Sussex 1,149 1,328 1,405 1.454 305 127
Thames Valley 1,825 1,786 1,890 1,891 66 105

Civilian Staff (excluding traffic wardens)
GOR Police force Strength 31.3.97 fte Strength 3l.3.00 fte Strength 30.9.00 fte Strength 31.3.01 fte Change Mar 97–Mar 01 number fte Change Mar 00–Mar 01 number fte
South West 4,122 4,512 4,581 4,715 593 203
Avon & Somerset 1,438 1,436 1,437 1,452 14 16
Devon & Cornwall 1,159 1,343 1,391 1,453 294 110
Dorset 615 686 681 682 67 -4
Gloucestershire 435 484 498 506 71 22
Wiltshire 475 563 574 622 147 59
Wales 2,455 2,457 2,686 2,706 251 249
Dyfed Powys 322 359 393 401 79 42
Gwent 452 498 490 537 85 39
North Wales 476 519 511 498 23 -21
South Wales 1,206 1,081 1,293 1,270 65 189
England and Wales (exc secondments) (2) 53,011 52,588 53,147 53,823 812 1,235
Total secondments n/a 639 708 765 n/a 126
Total (incl secondments) (2) 53,011 53,227 53,856 54,588 1,577 1,361

Notes:

1. As of April 2000, the Metropolitan Police force was reduced in size by a transfer of responsibility for policing some areas to the surrounding forces of Surrey, Hertfordshire and Essex. These changes need to be borne in mind when comparing figures for these forces before and after April 2000.

2. In the March 1997 figures, civilian secondments are counted within the figures for the forces from which they were seconded. The increased use of 1,577 civilians between March 1997 and March 2001 takes account of this.

3. Because of rounding, constituent parts may not necessarily sum to the totals.