§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there have been in the(a) Avon and Somerset force and (b) the East 114W Somerset force in each reporting period since 1980—81: and how many are planned for each reporting period to 2004–05. [56231]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 21 May 2002]: Information on police numbers for Avon and Somerset constabulary is set out at Table A. Details of strength for the East Somerset Division have been provided by the Chief Constable (Mr. S C Pilkington QPM) and are set out in Table B.
Mr. Pilkington has informed me that figures for the East Somerset division prior to 1996 have been archived and are not readily available.
He has further informed me that the planned strength for 2002–03 is 3,187 for the whole force, but that there is no separate figure for East Somerset. There are no predicted figures for years beyond 2003.
Police force performance does not depend solely upon the number of officers available. The proposals in the White Paper "Policing a New Century: A blueprint for Reform" set out a radical and ambitious programme of reform, with the overall aim of reducing crime and the fear of crime and to tackle anti-social behaviour. The test of success will be whether the measures being put in place will make a real difference to the quality of life of individuals and communities up and down the country.
Table A Avon and Somerset—Police strength 1980–81 to 2000–02 As at 31 March Police numbers 1981 2,953 1982 3,011 1983 2,970 1984 2,997 1985 2,982 1986 2,958 1987 3,009 1988 3,013 1989 3,014 1990 3,094 1991 3,092 1992 3,081 1993 3,068 1994 3,033 1995 3,000 1996 2,981 1997 2,989 1998 2,976 1999 2,999 2000 2,934 2001 2,960 2001 (30 September) 3,040
Table B East Somerset division—police strength 1996–97 to 1999–2000 As at 31 March Police numbers 1997 231 1998 243 1999 241 2000 235 2001 240 2001 (30 September) 249