To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence police were employed at Colchester Garrison in (a) May 1997, (b) May 2001 and (c) May 2005; and how many are now employed there. (146279)

The number of Ministry of Defence police officers employed at Colchester in May 1997, May 2001, May 2005 and June 2007 is as follows:

These figures do not include Criminal Investigation Department Officers who are not part of the MDP complement at Colchester Garrison and not funded by Land Command. They are based in Colchester for administrative convenience and are responsible for investigating crime on defence estates in East Anglia.