Police Stations

HC Deb 19 July 2002 vol 389 cc672-5W

Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations(a) closed and (b) opened in each police authority area in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [66615]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 2 July 2002]: Data are only available from 1990–91. Copies of the table detailing the number of police stations closed and opened, and the total numbers of police stations for each police authority since 1990–91 will be placed in the Library.

Information is available from all 43 forces for the total number of police stations for the three years to March 2000, March 2001 and March 2002. A number of forces

Number of Police Stations Opened and Closed since 1990–1996
	Mar 90	Mar 91		Mar 92		Mar 93		Mar 94		Mar 95		Mar 96
	No of Police Stations	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total
Avon & Somerset	82	0	0	82	0	0	82	0	-1	81	0	-13	68	0	-6	62	0	-14	48
Bedfordshire (1)
Cambridgeshire	35	0	-2	33	0	-2	31	0	-1	30	0	0	30	0	0	30	0	-1	29
Cheshire	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39
City of London	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2
Cleveland	17	0	0	17	0	0	17	0	0	17	1	0	18	2	0	20	2	0	22
Cumbria	24	0	0	24	0	0	24	0	0	24	10	0	34	0	0	34	0	0	34
Derbyshire
Devon & Cornwall	98	1	-5	94	0	-2	92	0	-3	89	2	-7	84	1	-7	78	4	-8	74
Dorset	27	0	0	27	0	0	27	0	0	27	0	0	27	1	-1	27	0	0	27
Durham	41	0	-1	40	0	0	40	0	0	40	0	0	40	3	-1	42	0	0	42
Dyfed-Powys	45	0	0	45	0	0	45	0	0	45	0	0	45	0	0	45	2	0	47
Essex (2) (3)	(2) N/A	N/A	N/A	114	1	-1	114	1	-1	114	1	-2	113	2	-1	114	0	0	114
Gloucestershire	71	0	0	71	0	-3	68	0	-2	66	0	-3	63	0	0	63	0	0	63
Gtr Manchester	96	0	0	96	0	0	96	0	0	96	0	-3	93	0	-11	82	0	0	82
Gwent (5)
Hampshire	126	0	-2	124	0	-1	123	0	-6	117	0	-4	113	1	-2	112	0	-4	108
Hertfordshire (3)	55	1	-1	55	0	0	55	0	0	55	0	0	55	0	-32	23	0	0	23
Humberside	38	0	0	38	0	0	38	0	0	38	0	0	38	1	-2	37	0	-2	35
Kent	46	0	0	46	0	0	46	0	-7	39	2	-2	39	0	-4	35	1	-4	32
Lancashire	111	0	-1	110	0	0	110	1	0	111	1	-1	111	0	0	111	2	-2	111
Leicestershire	26	1	-1	26	0	0	26	0	0	26	0	0	26	0	0	26	0	-1	25
Lincolnshire	45	1	0	46	1	-1	46	3	-1	48	3	-3	48	2	-2	48	0	0	48
Metropolitan (3)
Merseyside	53	0	0	53	0	0	53	1	-1	53	0	-1	52	0	0	52	0	0	52
Norfolk
Northamptonshire	11	0	0	11	0	0	11	0	0	11	0	0	11	0	0	11	0	0	11
Northumbria
North Wales (1)
North Yorkshire
Noltinghamshire	63	0	-1	62	0	0	62	0	-1	61	0	0	61	1	-1	61	3	-1	63
South Wales (4)	150	26	-2	174	2	-13	163	4	-9	158	1	-2	157	2	-4	155	3	-5	153
South Yorkshire	89	0	0	89	0	-1	88	1	0	89	0	0	89	0	-3	86	1	0	87
Staffordshire	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39	0	0	39
Suffolk	51	0	0	51	0	-1	50	0	-23	27	0	0	27	0	0	27	0	0	27
Surrey (3)	33	0	-1	32	0	0	32	0	0	32	0	0	32	0	-2	30	0	0
Sussex	34	0	0	34	0	0	34	0	0	34	0	0	34	0	0	34	0	0	34
Thames Valley	49	0	0	49	1	0	50	2	0	52	0	0	52	1	-1	52	1	-1	52
Warwickshire	18	1	-1	18	0	-1	17	0	0	17	0	0	17	0	0	17	0	-2	15
West Mercia	110	0	-22	88	1	-8	81	0	-11	70	0	-4	66	0	-4	62	0	-7	55
West Midlands	77	0	0	77	1	-2	76	0	0	76	0	-1	75	1	0	76	0	-1	75
West Yorkshire
Wiltshire	42	0	0	42	0	0	42	0	0	42	0	-7	35	1	-4	32	0	-2	30
TOTALS (6)	1843	31	-40	1948	7	-36	1919	13	-67	1865	21	-53	1833	19	-88	1764	19	-55	1728

Number of Police Stations Opened and Closed since 1997–2002
	Mar 97		Mar 98		Mar 99					Mar 00			Mar 01	Mar 02
	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd
Avon & Somerset	0	-13	35	2	-1	36	3	0	39	0	0	39	2	0	41	1
Bedfordshire (1)										2	(1)N/A	11	0	-1	10	0
Cambridgeshire	0	0	29	0	-1	28	1	-4	25	0	0	25	0	-1	24	0
Cheshire	0	-1	38	0	0	38	0	-2	36	0	-3	33	2	0	35	0
City of London	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0
Cleveland	2	0	24	0	-1	23	1	-2	22	0	0	22	0	0	22	0
Cumbria	1	-1	34	0	0	34	0	-10	24	0	0	24	0	0	24	1
Derbyshire									25	2	0	27	1
Devon & Cornwall	2	-5	71	1	-4	68	3	-3	68	1	-4	65	1	-1	65	0
Dorset	0	0	27	0	0	27	0	-1	26	1	-1	26	0	-1	25	3
Durham	2	-4	40	1	-1	40	0	0	40	0	0	40	3	-3	40	0
Dyfed-Powys	0	-3	44	4	-1	47	1	0	48	0	0	48	0	0	48	0
Essex (2) (3)	1	-1	114	0	0	114	1	-1	114	1	-43	72	4	-19	57	1
Gloucestershire	0	-1	62	1	0	63	0	-4	59	0	-12	47	1	-6	42	2
Gtr Manchester	0	0	82	1	-9	74	0	-4	70	0	0	70	0	-2	68	0
Gwent (5)						57	(5)N/A	(5)-5	52	(5)4	(5)N/A	56	0	-7	49	0
Hampshire	5	-9	104	1	-3	102	0	-8	94	0	-2	92	1	-4	89	0
Hertfordshire (3)	0	0	23	1	-1	23	0	0	23	0	-2	21	4	0	25	0
Humberside	0	0	35	1	0	36	0	-2	34	1	-2	33	2	-2	33	0
Kent	1	-1	32	3	-3	32	1	-1	32	0	0	32	0	-2	30	0
Lancashire	0	-2	109	0	-1	108	1	-1	108	0	0	108	0	-1	107	1
Leicestershire	3	0	28	2	-2	28	3	-3	28	2	0	30	0	0	30	1
Lincolnshire	1	-6	43	0	-1	42	1	-1	42	0	0	42	0	0	42	0
Metropolitan (3)												156	0	-12	144	4
Merseyside	0	0	52	0	-1	51	0	-1	50	0	-6	44	0	-1	43	0
Norfolk												42	0	0	42	5
Northamptonshire	1	0	12	0	0	12	0	0	12	0	0	12	0	0	12	0
Northumbria												36	0	0	36	0
North Wales (1)										(1)N/A	-5	54	0	-2	52	0
North Yorkshire												35	0	0	35	0
Noltinghamshire	1	0	64	0	-22	42	1	-1	42	2	0	44	2	0	46	1
South Wales (4)	4	-19	138	1	-2	137	4	-5	136	1	-12	125	1	-4	122	1
South Yorkshire	0	-3	84	2	0	86	0	-4	82	0	-2	80	3	-6	77	6
Staffordshire	0	0	39	1	-2	38	1	-1	38	1	-1	38	0	0	38	2
Suffolk	0	0	27	1	0	28	0	0	28	0	0	28	0	0	28	0
Surrey (3)	0	0	30	0	-2	28	0	-2	26	0	-4	22	6	0	28	1
Sussex	0	0	34	0	0	34	1	0	35	1	0	36	0	0	36	0
Thames Valley	1	0	53	1	-7	47	9	-1	55	2	-2	55	0	-4	51	2

were unable to provide data on total police stations or on numbers opened or closed for earlier years and this is reflected in the table.

Number of Police Stations Opened and Closed since 1997–2002
	Mar 97		Mar 98		Mar 99					Mar 00			Mar 01	Mar 02
Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd	Clsd	Total	Opd
Warwickshire	0	0	15	0	0	15	0	0	15	0	0	15	0	0	15	0
West Mercia	0	-2	53	0	0	53	4	-4	53	1	-1	53	1	-1	53	1
West Midlands	0	-3	72	0	-2	70	0	-1	69	0	-1	68	0	0	68	1
West Yorkshire												40	0	0	40	0
Wiltshire	0	-2	28	0	-2	26	0	-2	24	0	0	24	0	0	24	1
TOTALS (6)	25	-76	1677	24	-69	1689	36	-74	1651	20	-103	1970	35	-80	1925	36

(1) Comprehensive data for openings/closures for Bedfordshire and North Wales for 1999–2000 are not available. First "Total" numbers available are for March 2000.

(2) Data not available for the total number of police stations in Essex at March 1990., or the number of openings/closures during 1990–91. The first "Total" figure available is for March 1991.

(3) 12 police stations were transferred by the Metropolitan Police Authority to boundary forces in April 2000; Essex (2), Hefts (4) and Surrey (6).

(4) In 1996–97 South Wales Police transferred nine police stations to Gwent.

(5) Figures for Gwent opening/closures in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 are net openings/closures.

(6) The totals given for 1990 cover data from 33 forces only. Data was not available from the remaining 10 forces. The totals given for 1991–97 cover data from 34 forces. The total figures for the number of police stations for 1998 and 1999 cover data from 35 forces. Although the figures for the total number of police stations for March 2000 covers data from all 43 forces, data on the number of openings/closures in 1999–2000 are only available from 37 forces.