§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of service of a special constable is in working in(a) Jarrow, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the UK. [61488]
§ Mr. DenhamI am informed by the Chief Commandant of Northumbria Police Special Constabulary that the average length of service for special constables in Jarrow and South Tyneside is three years.
Complete data concerning the average length of service are not available centrally. The most recent available Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) returns regarding specials in post were for March 2000, and these asked how long specials had been in post within bands of less than six months, six months to two years, two to five years, five to 10 years, and over 10 years. These figures show that most specials in England and Wales fell within the band of length of service of between two and five years at that time.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Department plans to introduce incentives to encourage people to become career special constables. [61489]
§ Mr. DenhamThe police reform process is an opportunity to achieve a stronger, increasingly professional special constabulary. We are introducing a range of measures to improve the recruitment and retention of specials. These include: a new headline role 617W focusing on intelligence led patrolling and crime reduction initiatives; a new national foundation training package for special constables; joint Home Office/Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) good practice guidance covering recruitment, management and deployment of specials; new conditions of service and conduct regulations.
In January 2002 we ran a press campaign targeting Specials as part of the national recruitment campaign for the regular Police Service. We are also considering whether we can increase the opportunities for recognising the skills and experience specials acquire in forces and in their wider workplace. And as my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Mr. Blunkett) recently announced in his speech at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), we will also be working with employers who are specials.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables have operated in the Jarrow constituency in each year since 1997. [61283]
§ Mr. DenhamI am informed by the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police that the number of specials is not collected at constituency level, but is collected within force at Area Command level. The Jarrow constituency falls within the South Tyneside Area Command. For the South Tyneside Area Command, figures are available for the previous three years as follows:
- 1 April 2000: 29
- 1 April 2001: 28
- 1 April 2002: 25