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28 Jun 2001 : Column: 119W

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 28 June 2001

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police Numbers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers and civilian staff there are (a) in total and (b) in each police force in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [1459]

28 Jun 2001 : Column: 120W

Mr. Blunkett: The tables show, for March 1997, March 2000, September 2000 and March 2001, total numbers of police officers and civilians for each police authority area in England and Wales, together with changes in numbers since March 1997 and March 2000.

On 31 March 2001 total police numbers, including secondments, in England and Wales were 125,519, an increase of 1,349 or 1.1 per cent., compared with the end of March 2000. This is the largest annual increase in police numbers since 1988-89.

Between 31 March 2000 and 31 March 2001 the number of civilian support staff increased by 1,361, or 2.6 per cent., to 54,588.

In total, there were 180,107 police officers and civilian support staff compared with 180,169 in March 1997.

The substantial investment we are putting into the police service is delivering the improvements that we promised. The increase in police numbers since March 2000 is a direct result of the extra funding available to forces via the Crime Fighting Fund since April 2000.

28 Jun 2001 : Column: 119W

Police strengthFte

	Strength				Change
GOR/Police force	31 March 1997	31 March 2000	30 September 2000	31 March 2001	March 1997 to March 2001 (Number)	March 2000 to March 2001 (Number)
North East	6,597	6,749	6,820	6,859	262	110
Cleveland	1,459	1,404	1,421	1,407	-52	3
Durham	1,461	1,558	1,581	1,595	135	37
Northumbria	3,677	3,788	3,818	3,857	180	69
North West	17,588	17,153	17,110	17,295	-293	142
Cheshire	2,046	2,011	2,000	2,002	-44	-9
Cumbria	1,144	1,084	1,048	1,048	-96	-36
Greater Manchester	6,922	6,795	6,767	6,909	-13	115
Lancashire	3,247	3,179	3,215	3,255	8	76
Merseyside	4,230	4,085	4,081	4,081	-149	-4
Yorkshire and the Humber	11,750	11,200	11,189	11,234	-516	34
Humberside	2,045	1,932	1,905	1,907	-128	-15
North Yorkshire	1,338	1,283	1,293	1,305	-33	22
South Yorkshire	3,159	3,163	3,184	3,197	38	34
West Yorkshire	5,209	4,822	4,806	4,815	-394	-7
East Midlands	8,436	8,206	8,350	8,427	-9	221
Derbyshire	1,791	1,777	1,780	1,823	32	46
Leicestershire	1,949	1,993	2,010	2,033	84	40
Lincolnshire	1,196	1,115	1,162	1,202	6	87
Northamptonshire	1,177	1,117	1,166	1,157	-20	40
Nottinghamshire	2,323	2,204	2,232	2,212	-111	8
West Midlands	12,290	12,151	12,324	12,429	139	279
Staffordshire	2,211	2,170	2,157	2,129	-82	-41
Warwickshire	926	900	912	926	0	26
West Mercia	2,040	1,887	1,906	1,951	-89	64
West Midlands	7,113	7,194	7,350	7,423	310	229
Eastern	9,727	9,364	9,515	9,694	-33	330
Bedfordshire	1,094	1,028	1,006	1,036	-58	8
Cambridgeshire	1,302	1,237	1,266	1,296	-6	59
Essex(1)	2,961	2,806	2,780	2,887	-74	81
Hertfordshire(1)	1,759	1,767	1,961	1,922	163	155
Norfolk	1,432	1,381	1,387	1,420	-12	39
Suffolk	1,180	1,145	1,115	1,133	-47	-12
London	27,536	26,216	25,415	25,581	1,955	-635
City of London	859	732	720	703	-156	-29
Metropolitan Police(1)	26,677	25,485	24,695	24,878	-1,799	-607
South East	15,111	14,971	15,347	15,378	267	407
Hampshire	3,452	3,419	3,435	3,435	-17	16
Kent	3,260	3,204	3,239	3,319	59	115
Surrey(1)	1,620	1,785	2,113	2,066	446	281
Sussex	3,085	2,822	2,812	2,855	-230	33
Thames Valley	3,695	3,740	3,748	3,703	8	-37
South West	9,424	9,313	9,354	9,541	117	228
Avon and Somerset	2,989	2,934	2,941	2,960	-29	26
Devon and Cornwall	2,865	2,841	2,873	2,934	70	93
Dorset	1,284	1,306	1,299	1,354	70	48
Gloucestershire	1,133	1,114	1,142	1,173	40	59
Wiltshire	1,154	1,118	1,099	1,120	-34	2
Wales	6,592	6,632	6,738	6,873	281	241
Dyfed Powys	1,005	1,040	1,045	1,055	51	15
Gwent	1,243	1,264	1,271	1,274	31	10
North Wales	1,369	1,403	1,393	1,444	75	41
South Wales	2,976	2,926	3,029	3,100	124	174
England and Wales(2)	125,051	121,956	122,163	123,313	-1,738	1,357
Total secondments	2,107	2,214	2,384	2,206	99	-8
Total(3)	127,158	124,170	124,547	125,519	-1,621	1,349

⁽¹⁾ As of April 2000, the Metropolitan police force was reduced in size by a transfer of responsibility for policing some areas to the surrounding forces of Surrey, Hertfordshire and Essex. These changes need to be borne in mind when comparing figures for these forces before and after April 2000.

⁽²⁾ Excluding secondments

⁽³⁾ Including secondments

Note:

Because of rounding, constituent parts may not necessarily sum to the totals.

28 Jun 2001 : Column: 121W

28 Jun 2001 : Column: 121W

Civilian staff ⁽⁴⁾Fte

	Strength				Change
GOR/Police force	31 March 1997	31 March 2000	30 September 2000	31 March 2001	March 1997 to March 2001 (Number)	March 2000 to March 2001 (Number)
North East	2,557	2,603	2,583	2,568	11	-35
Cleveland	609	595	598	586	-23	-9
Durham	583	590	573	566	-17	-24
Northumbria	1,365	1,417	1,413	1,416	51	-1
North West	6,267	6,994	7,007	7,066	799	72
Cheshire	735	823	870	833	98	10
Cumbria	451	469	505	588	137	119
Greater Manchester	2,612	2,822	2,845	2,858	246	36
Lancashire	1,126	1,422	1,351	1,369	243	-53
Merseyside	1,343	1,458	1,437	1,418	75	-40
Yorkshire and the Humber	4,762	4,922	4,923	4,939	177	17
Humberside	718	840	783	808	90	-32
North Yorkshire	519	492	533	591	72	99
South Yorkshire	1,291	1,391	1,399	1,312	22	-79
West Yorkshire	2,234	2,199	2,208	2,228	-6	29
East Midlands	3,555	3,769	4,039	3,975	420	206
Derbyshire	723	826	865	875	152	49
Leicestershire	755	805	808	806	51	2
Lincolnshire	521	516	554	561	40	45
Northamptonshire	554	599	648	694	141	95
Nottinghamshire	1,003	1,024	987	1,039	36	15
West Midlands	4,819	4991	5,132	5,261	442	270
Staffordshire	763	858	897	935	173	77
Warwickshire	376	394	388	412	36	18
West Mercia	942	1,043	1,026	1,095	153	52
West Midlands	2,739	2,695	2,821	2,819	81	124
Eastern	4,234	4,485	4,699	4,802	568	317
Bedfordshire	484	490	488	491	7	1
Cambridgeshire	607	503	543	614	7	111
Essex(5)	1,199	1,348	1,472	1,447	248	99
Hertfordshire(5)	818	890	948	935	117	45
Norfolk	603	655	651	694	91	39
Suffolk	522	600	592	621	99	21
London	13,840	10,890	10,382	10,273	-3,567	-617
City of London	347	285	235	233	-114	-52
Metropolitan Police(5)	13,493	10,605	10,147	10,040	-3,453	-565
South East	6,399	6,966	7,292	7,520	1,121	554
Hampshire	1,316	1,443	1,467	1,482	166	39
Kent	1,384	1,647	1,670	1,796	412	149
Surrey(5)	727	762	865	897	170	135
Sussex	1,149	1,328	1,405	1,454	305	127
Thames Valley	1,825	1,786	1,890	1,891	66	105
South West	4,122	4,512	4,581	4,715	593	203
Avon and Somerset	1,438	1,436	1,437	1,452	14	16
Devon and Cornwall	1,159	1,343	1,391	1,453	294	110
Dorset	615	686	681	682	67	-4
Gloucestershire	435	484	498	506	71	22
Wiltshire	475	563	574	622	147	59
Wales	2,455	2,457	2,686	2,706	251	249
Dyfed Powys	322	359	393	401	79	42
Gwent	452	498	490	537	85	39
North Wales	476	519	511	498	23	-21
South Wales	1,206	1,081	1,293	1,270	65	189
England and Wales(6),(7)	53,011	52,588	53,147	53,823	812	1,235
Total secondments	n/a	639	708	765	n/a	126
Total(7),(8)	53,011	53,227	53,856	54,588	1,577	1,361

⁽⁴⁾ Excluding traffic wardens

⁽⁵⁾ As of April 2000, the Metropolitan police force was reduced in size by a transfer of responsibility for policing some areas to the surrounding forces of Surrey, Hertfordshire and Essex. These changes need to be borne in mind when comparing figures for these forces before and after April 2000.

⁽⁶⁾ Excluding secondments.

⁽⁷⁾ In the March 1997 figures, civilian secondments are counted within the figures for the forces from which they were seconded. The increase of 1,577 civilians between March 1997 and March 2001 take account of this.

⁽⁸⁾ Including secondments.

Note:

Because of rounding, constituent parts may not necessarily sum to the totals.

28 Jun 2001 : Column: 123W

28 Jun 2001 : Column: 123W

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