Police Morale (Hansard, 4 February 2002)

§ Mr. Denham

There is no established direct method of measuring the level of morale in the police service.

We are actively improving the resources of the police so they can play their key part in tackling crime and disorder and improving community safety. We are also determined to tackle those elements of police officers' working lives that can create frustration and detract from their ability to do their jobs in the way that they would wish.

We are committed to investment in scientific and technological support and to reducing the burden of unnecessary bureaucracy. This should help officers to spend as much of their time as possible on the front line.

The Police Negotiating Board (PNB) has agreed in principle to a package of reforms to police pay and conditions of service.

The agreement is subject to ratification by all parties by the end of February. We believe that, taking the package as a whole, it will benefit the vast majority of officers.

An ambitious programme of work in police training has begun to raise professional standards for officers and support staff, and to achieve greater consistency nationally.

We have turned around the decline in police numbers that started under the last Government. Police numbers rose by 2,645 officers in the 12 months to September 2001, taking national strength to 127,231, the highest since February 1995. This increase, of 2.1 per cent. is the largest single annual increase in police numbers for 20 years.

We have set the police service a target to reach record numbers of officers by this April, and 130,000 officers by spring 2003.