[holding answer 8 February 2007]: The number of authorised firearms officers in police forces in England and Wales since 1996-97 are shown in the following table. Statistics for 2005-06 are likely to be announced in the spring.
1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Avon and Somerset 165 161 153 150 135 116 84 122 118 Bedfordshire 46 42 50 46 45 48 53 58 56 Cambridgeshire 90 80 80 77 73 56 71 60 60 Cheshire 70 82 70 75 74 81 89 75 76 Cleveland 86 84 78 80 75 85 80 95 100 City of London 88 81 55 73 74 73 72 86 89 Cumbria 108 122 98 98 94 92 87 89 90 Derbyshire 110 100 87 77 81 80 69 70 74 Devon and Cornwall 151 147 82 119 100 108 115 132 123 Dorset 74 72 72 66 67 57 59 60 64 Durham 138 144 96 101 101 36 102 97 103 Essex 228 217 235 228 195 180 184 186 202 Gloucestershire 82 84 79 77 72 71 30 82 93 Greater Manchester 209 182 217 218 240 219 202 205 187 Hampshire 106 112 110 111 100 87 94 94 92 Hertfordshire 42 41 43 52 44 46 47 50 53 Humberside 90 102 102 97 102 96 96 96 101 Kent 150 150 130 136 136 113 93 90 94 Lancashire 132 125 132 143 132 138 129 122 115 Leicestershire 104 94 90 90 85 69 68 51 53 Lincolnshire 82 85 75 78 80 91 87 78 86 Merseyside 147 165 121 96 103 78 84 94 93 Metropolitan 2,035 1,971 1,951 1,977 1,940 1,805 1,823 2,060 2,134 Norfolk 98 102 109 110 114 104 109 114 125 Northamptonshire 92 92 92 75 77 51 56 52 50 Northumbria 173 126 123 114 109 125 99 90 93 North Yorkshire 108 95 83 59 66 66 64 60 56 Nottinghamshire 128 129 120 116 137 136 131 138 138 South Yorkshire 110 108 90 100 98 92 100 98 122 Staffordshire 78 86 92 81 67 71 63 67 76 Suffolk 82 96 101 98 90 90 80 96 88 Surrey 76 61 69 71 72 62 48 53 49 Sussex 180 146 156 131 118 120 141 134 130 Thames Valley 185 194 179 187 185 156 180 172 176 Warwickshire 41 38 44 54 45 50 51 46 53 West Mercia 155 159 139 129 130 125 131 139 141 West Midlands 88 95 92 93 83 111 110 124 134 West Yorkshire 131 114 128 110 117 116 132 140 130 Wiltshire 134 105 88 89 71 71 78 80 74 Dyfed Powys 70 71 67 65 61 77 62 58 79 Gwent 70 59 64 68 66 57 60 71 74 North Wales 72 90 97 92 67 83 75 73 65 South Wales 134 176 169 155 143 138 125 139 134