§ Lord Kilclooneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many special constables there are. [HL302]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonWe collect data on special constabulary strength for March and September each year. The latest figures are for 31 March 2002 when there were 11,598 special constables in police forces in England and Wales. We are committed to increasing the special constabulary and we are working with stakeholders on a package of measures designed to address recruitment and retention issues.