§ Mr. McWalterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to expand the provision of community officers to all areas: and over what timescale. [75330]
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§ Mr. DenhamThe number of police officers in England and Wales is the highest ever, 129,603 officers on 31 March 2002. Police strength is on track to reach our target of 130,000 officers by March 2003. We have set a further target for it to reach 132,500 officers in 2004.
Decisions about the deployment of officers to community policing or other duties are for Chief Officers.
Community Support Officers (CSOs) will have a vital role to play in support of the police. By tackling anti-social behaviour and the host of public nuisance, disorder and environmental problems that accompany it, they will make an invaluable contribution to community safety and regeneration.
More than £19 million has been made available this year to recruit, train and deploy CSOs. Twenty-seven police forces in England and Wales bid for a share of this fund and we were able to fund them all. Hertfordshire made a successful bid for 14 CSOs to provide reassurance and a visible presence for communities in Watford and Stevenage.
We expect to see more than 1,000 CSOs on the streets by April 2003 and more than 4,000 by 2005.