§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables were in service in each police force area in(a)March 1997 and (b)March 2001; and if he will make a statement. [41615]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 8 March 2002]:The number of serving special constables in each police force area in March 1997 and March 2001 are set out in the table:
351W
Police force March 1997 March 2001 Avon and Somerset 759 400 Bedfordshire 182 115 Cambridgeshire 303 218 Cheshire 475 290 Cleveland 160 93 Cumbria 189 156 Derbyshire 428 275 Devon and Cornwall 1,148 796 Dorset 289 267 Durham 184 146 Essex 634 445 Gloucestershire 297 183 Greater Manchester 685 367 Hampshire 621 454 Hertfordshire 297 198 Humberside 340 212 Kent 589 392 Lancashire 483 360 Leicestershire 415 162 Lincolnshire 271 166 London, City of 86 43 Merseyside 401 541 Metropolitan Police 1,714 774 Norfolk 402 259 Northamptonshire 316 188 Northumbria 533 300 North Yorkshire 362 182 Nottinghamshire 620 335 South Yorkshire 308 188
Police force March 1997 March 2001 Staffordshire 685 402 Suffolk 379 349 Surrey 297 149 Sussex 472 306 Thames Valley 656 418 Warwickshire 381 221 West Mercia 582 399 West Midlands 945 617 West Yorkshire 690 415 Wiltshire 154 152 Dyfed Powys 283 191 Gwent 157 137 North Wales 341 207 South Wales 361 254 Source:
Figures provided by Research Development Statistics Directorate.
The Government are committed to increasing the size of the Special Constabulary and is working on a number of options designed to achieve this. These include improvements to the recruitment, training, conditions, management and deployment of specials—focusing their role on intelligence-led, high visibility patrolling and local crime reduction initiatives.