§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the proposed manning level is for each of the next three years for the(a) Ministry of Defence Police, (b) Royal Military Police, (c) Military Provost Guard Service and (d) RAF Police; and if he will make a statement; [26639]
(2) what is the approved number for the (a) Ministry of Defence Police, (b) Royal Military Police, (c) Military Provost Guard Service, (d) RAF Police; and if he will make a statement. [26637]
§ Mr. IngramThe current figures are as follows:
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Requirement Strength MOD Police1 3,395 3,328 Royal Military Police2 2,109 2,073 Military Provost Guard Service3 528 453 RAF Police4 2,384 2,265 1 Figures as at 1 January 2002. Civilian support staff not included. 2 Strength as at December 2001. Requirement is the Manpower Planning Target for 2001–02 Financial Year. Figures shown are the Adjutant Generals Corp (Provost Branch) which includes: AG (PRO)-General Police Duties (GPD), AG (PRO)-Special Investigations Branch (SIB) and AG (PRO)-Military Provost Staff (MPS). 3 Strength as at 1 December 2001. Requirement is the current establishment figure for 2001–02 Financial Year. 4 Figures as at 1 December 2001.
Based on the known Ministry of Defence Police complement alterations, the overall staffing levels for the next three years are expected to be between 3,000 and 3,300.
The RAF Police are in the process of a major structural reorganisation with a view to reducing the requirement. The trained strength will be reduced over the next six to eight years to align with the reduced requirement. It is likely that the Military Provost Guard Service will increase to offset part of the reduction in the RAF Police but will be aligned to the strength reductions.