HC Deb 27 November 2002 vol 395 cc370-2W
Mr. Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of(a) racially aggravated offences, (b) violent crime, (c) robbery of personal property and (d) drug offences were recorded in (i) Lancashire and (ii) the North West of England in (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001. [82373]

Mr. Denham

The requested statistics are given in the following table.

On 1 April 1998, there was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime, and an expansion of the offences covered. This resulted in an increase of crimes recorded by the police. Recorded crime figures before this date will therefore not be directly comparable.

As Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester police forces implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of its national implementation in April 2002, the recorded crime figures for these areas cannot be directly compared with those for previous years. The affects of the Standard are explained in table footnote 4.

five years; and what the target number of police officers in each police authority was in each of those years. [82519]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 25 November 2002]: The information requested about police strength has been set out in the table. Targets for individual force strength are not collected centrally.

Police Officer Strength
Year as at 31 March Dyfed-Powys Gwent North Wales South Wales
1998 1,002 1,233 1,396 2,986
1999 1,026 1,247 1,391 2,981
2000 1,040 1,264 1,403 2,926
2001 1,055 1,274 1,444 3,154
2002 1,132 1,333 1,506 3,222

Civilian Support Staff
Year as at 31 March Dyfed-Powys Gwent North Wales South Wales
1998 341 477 479 1,132
1999 341 487 508 1,223
2000 359 498 519 1,081
2001 401 537 498 1,270

Civilian Support Staff
Year as at 31 March Dyfed-Powys Gwent North Wales South Wales
2002 459 570 645 1,435

Source:

Home Office Statistical Bulletins—Police Service Strength 1998–2002