§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the(a) establishment and (b) recommended number of police officers is; and how many vacancies exist for police officers in England; [7195]
(2) what the (a) establishment and (b) recommended number of police officers is for each police force in the South-East and South-West regions; and how many vacancies exist for police officers in each region. [7194]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 15 October 2001]The Government do not set recommended levels of strength on a force by force basis. It is for individual chief officers of police to determine their staffing levels. We expect numbers of officers in England and Wales to reach record levels by 2003.