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Dr. Kumar
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables have been in place in each English police force in each year since 1996. [114307]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth
The data requested, as at March 1996–2002, are set out in the table.Since March 1998, information on the strength of special constabularies for each police force has been published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletins on police strength in England and Wales, copies of which are available in the Library.
| Special constable strength in England by police force area | |||||||
| March | |||||||
| Police force | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Avon and Somerset | 688 | 759 | 621 | 547 | 459 | 400 | 364 |
| Bedfordshire | 189 | 182 | 186 | 154 | 151 | 115 | 118 |
| Cambridgeshire | 275 | 303 | 320 | 310 | 274 | 218 | 207 |
| Cheshire | 274 | 475 | 459 | 407 | 350 | 290 | 191 |
| Cleveland | 195 | 160 | 164 | 126 | 128 | 93 | 85 |
| Cumbria | 201 | 189 | 198 | 204 | 176 | 156 | 102 |
| Derbyshire | 413 | 428 | 380 | 317 | 282 | 275 | 260 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 1,102 | 1,148 | 1,024 | 918 | 870 | 796 | 689 |
| Dorset | 254 | 289 | 315 | 305 | 298 | 267 | 253 |
| Durham | 187 | 184 | 144 | 159 | 157 | 146 | 134 |
| Essex | 608 | 634 | 638 | 544 | 483 | 445 | 381 |
| Gloucestershire | 330 | 297 | 276 | 233 | 206 | 183 | 154 |
| Greater Manchester | 746 | 685 | 598 | 523 | 457 | 367 | 338 |
| Hampshire | 564 | 621 | 698 | 760 | 615 | 454 | 444 |
| Hertfordshire | 315 | 297 | 306 | 238 | 216 | 198 | 206 |
| Humberside | 391 | 340 | 324 | 269 | 246 | 212 | 207 |
| Kent | 555 | 589 | 592 | 526 | 436 | 392 | 327 |
| Lancashire | 553 | 483 | 489 | 449 | 382 | 360 | 363 |
| Leicestershire | 360 | 415 | 406 | 316 | 247 | 162 | 143 |
| Lincolnshire | 299 | 271 | 260 | 216 | 195 | 166 | 155 |
| City of London | 77 | 86 | 76 | 64 | 56 | 43 | 36 |
| Merseyside | 333 | 401 | 419 | 458 | 476 | 541 | 468 |
| Metropolitan police | 1,850 | 1,714 | 1,282 | 1138 | 758 | 774 | 680 |
| Norfolk | 319 | 402 | 337 | 336 | 285 | 259 | 244 |
| Northamptonshire | 289 | 316 | 288 | 230 | 199 | 188 | 177 |
| Northumbria | 471 | 533 | 400 | 342 | 332 | 300 | 256 |
| North Yorkshire | 360 | 362 | 358 | 276 | 217 | 182 | 185 |
| Nottinghamshire | 537 | 620 | 558 | 461 | 411 | 335 | 341 |
| South Yorkshire | 381 | 308 | 281 | 246 | 205 | 188 | 206 |
| Staffordshire | 702 | 685 | 595 | 468 | 482 | 402 | 384 |
| Suffolk | 407 | 379 | 397 | 420 | 391 | 349 | 308 |
| Surrey | 260 | 297 | 235 | 224 | 175 | 149 | 187 |
| Sussex | 511 | 472 | 442 | 393 | 352 | 306 | 306 |
| Thames Valley | 744 | 656 | 609 | 569 | 472 | 418 | 356 |
| Warwickshire | 340 | 381 | 345 | 261 | 260 | 221 | 209 |
| WestMercia | 613 | 582 | 512 | 515 | 476 | 399 | 339 |
| West Midlands | 897 | 945 | 889 | 731 | 680 | 617 | 598 |
| West Yorkshire | 709 | 690 | 589 | 559 | 484 | 415 | 349 |
| Wiltshire | 233 | 154 | 149 | 184 | 173 | 152 | 147 |
| Total all forces in England | 18,532 | 18,732 | 17,159 | 15,396 | 13,512 | 11,933 | 10,897 |
Source:
Figures provided by Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate.