§ Lord Palmerasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many police officers were on duty at RAF Northolt on 7 May for the arrival of Mr Ronnie Biggs; what was the cost of this operation; and whether they consider this represented an appropriate use of police resources. [HL2119]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that 72 police officers were deployed to RAF Northolt for the arrival and arrest of Mr Ronnie Biggs. Six of these officers were directly involved in making the arrest and 66 officers were deployed as a response to Ministry of Defence concerns about the security of RAF Northolt being breached by the media.
It was a matter for the Commissioner and the Divisional Commander for the London Borough of Hillingdon, where RAF Northolt is located, to determine the operational response in the light of available information and intelligence.
I am told that it is not possible for the Metropolitan Police Service to identify the total cost of the operation as it was undertaken as part of the normal duties for the officers involved. I am, however, informed that the additional costs, mostly overtime, were £12,871.