To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce his decision on increases in police establishments for 1992–93.

On 9 October I announced that there would be up to 1,000 additional police posts for 1992–93. I have today approved allocations for 937 police posts. In addition, 63 police posts will be freed for operational duties as a result of the contracting out of prisoner escorts next year. I have allocated 807 additional posts to provincial forces; the allocation is shown in the following table. The increases are effective from 1 April 1992, subject to confirmation by police authorities that they are willing to fund their share of the cost of these posts, where this has not already been given.I have also set aside 30 posts for allocation to regional crime squads. Of these, 22 have been allocated to the No. 9 regional crime squad which covers the Metropolitan police district. I shall await the advice of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary before I decide on allocations to the provincial regional crime squads.I can also approve up to 100 posts where I am satisfied that the full cost would be reimbursed by a third party, as in the case of some airports.Applications from police authorities for increases in establishments have exceeded the number of posts available for allocation and I have therefore had to set priorities taking into account advice from Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary. Because I have had to target the increases on the forces which I judge to be in the greatest need, some forces have not had their applications for increases in establishment approved.Over 80 per cent. of the posts will be deployed on operational duties identified by chief constables, mainly at constable level.I have also allocated 30 extra posts to provincial police forces for 1991–92. These posts have been reallocated from provisions originally made for regional crime squads. Details of these allocations are also given in the table. These increases will have immediate effect.In addition to police costs, provision has been made for more than 1,100 additional civilian staff posts to help forces release more police officers for operational duties through civilianisation. Provincial police authorities identified scope in their applications for 1992–93 for the release of some 400 additional police officers to operational duties through civilianisation. In addition the Metropolitan police plans to increase operational strength by 200 through civilianisation.The full effect of the additional posts together with civilianisation could therefore be to increase operational strength by over 1,500 in 1992–93.