§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrestees in(a) Haltemprice and Howden, (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (c) the Humberside police authority area tested positive for category A and B drugs in each of the last two quarters for which figures are available. [116773]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThere are currently no powers to test arrestees for class A or B drugs. Drug testing of persons in police detention (after charge) is planned to start in Kingston-upon-Hull in the Humberside police force area in the summer of 2003 as part of the initiative to introduce drug testing across the 30 Basic Command Unit (BCD) areas with the highest levels of acquisitive crime. Data analysis will be available thereafter. The police will test under powers introduced by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000, for the presence of specified Class A drugs only i.e. heroin and crack/ cocaine, those most closely associated with acquisitive crime.
§ Mrs Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers per head of population were in post in Merseyside in each year since 1995. [116475]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe table sets out the ratio of police officers to the population.558W
Year 1 Number of population to one police officer March 1995 306 March 1996 322 March 1997 337 March 1998 337 March 1999 336 March 2000 345 March 2001 344 March 2002 340 September 2002 331 1 Calculations are based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) population statistics Merseyside police has one of the lowest ratios of population to police officers. In September 2002 only the Metropolitan police and West Midlands police had lower ratios. The average ratio of population per police officer for England and Wales in 1995 was 413 and in September 2002 it was 402.
Shona MclsaacTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers and civilian support staff additional to the complement on I May 1997 have been appointed to Humberside police in each year since that date. [116594]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe information is set out in the table. Police strength details are not collected in May.
Year (at 31 March) Police strength Increase in strength Civilian Support staff strength Increase in Civilian strength 1997 2,045 718 — 1998 2,021 -24 789 +71 1999 1,974 -47 840 +51 2000 1,932 -42 840 — 2001 1,917 -15 808 -32 2002 2,058 +141 816 +8 2002 (30 September) 2,114 +56 Not available — Humberside police has a record number of police officers. The net increase in force strength since March 1997 is 69 officers, or 3.4 per cent. which is in line with the average increase for England and Wales over the same period.