asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the total expenditure on law enforcement and crime prevention in real terms and the total number of reported crimes in 1950, 1960, 1970, and 1974, respectively.

The main responsibility for law enforcement and crime prevention rests with the police. Following are details of the total actual expenditure on the police service in England and Wales for the years in question; the total expenditure adjusted to 1974–75 prices; and the number of offences recorded as known to the police.

(1)		(2)		(3)
		Total expenditure (£ million)		Offences known to the police
Year		Actual	Adjusted
1950	…	53·1	183·0	461,435
1960	…	115·5	269·5	743,713
1970	…	321·9	501·6	1,555,995
1974	…	592·8	592·8	1,635,983
		(estimated)	(estimated)

(i) The figures in column (2) relate to the financial year beginning 1st April: the figures in column (3) relate to the calendar year.(ii) The totals in column (2) comprise expenditure by police authorities together with the cost of services supporting the police borne by the central government. Expenditure is also incurred on law enforcement and crime prevention by other Government Departments, public corporations, and private business.(iii) Because of changes in the law and recording practice the figures in column (3) for any one of these years are not fully comparable with those for the others.