To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of police manpower for Dorset; and how his Department takes account of the additional resources needed for a county with a large number of seasonal visitors.

At the end of August, there were 1,302 police officers in the Dorset Police, an increase of 14 per cent. since the Government first took office. In allocating increases in establishments to forces, my right hon. Friend takes account of a wide range of factors which influence demands on the police, with the professional advice of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary on circumstances peculiar to each force, such as the volume of seasonal visits.