§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) police officers and (b) community support officers there were in the Greater Manchester Police in each of the last 10 years; and what his projections are for the next three years' spending period. [184746]
§ Ms BlearsThe information requested is set out in the table. The Greater Manchester Police had record police strength at the end of December 2003.
We have made no projections for force strength over the next three years. It is for the Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police to determine the mix of officers and support staff within the budget set by the police authority over the next three years.
As at 31 March Police Officer strength Police (support) staff strength Community Support Officer strength 1993–94 6,967 2,638 — 1994–95 7,037 2,674 — 1995–96 6,938 2,749 — 1996–97 6,922 2,612 — 1997–98 6,949 2,661 — 1998–99 6,810 2,623 – 1999–2000 6,795 2,822 — 2000–01 6,909 2,858 — 2001–02 7,217 3,135 — 2002–03 7,343 3,173 160 2003–04 17,770 Not available 2185 1Police officer strength as at 31 December 2003. 2 CSO strength as at 31 March 2004.