§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of a police officer's980W time on average was spent on (a) patrol and (b) dealing with paperwork in the last year for which figures are available. [146834]
§ Mr. BlunkettFigures collected by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary show that, in 2002–03 the number of officers allocated to patrol duties was 63,426. However, we know that there is significant variation between forces in the amount of time officers spend on front line duties, including patrol. We are, as part of the Police Performance Assessment Framework, collecting data from forces so that we can publish a baseline estimate of front line policing for all forces. This will be a valuable tool to drive up the amount of time spent on front line duties.
We remain committed to tackling administrative burdens and inefficient practices in the police service. Sir David O'Dowd's Taskforce was commissioned to give the Government a police service view of what could be done to tackle the administrative burdens and inefficient practices which keep police officers off the streets. The Taskforce report, published in September 2002, highlighted ways of freeing up significant amounts of officers' time. Among the achievements to date, more than 4,600 forms in 21 forces are now obsolete and all 43 forces now have the capacity to undertake video identity parades. The national roll out of the fixed penalty notice scheme is scheduled for completion by April 2004. Other initiatives are contributing to the reducing burden on police officers. In addition, there is a major Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Thematic inspection on Civilianisation/The use of non-sworn staff due to report April/May 2004. £8 million has been set aside this financial year for workforce modernisation projects, the criteria for which include the release of officers for front line duties.