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Police: Manpower

Volume 468: debated on Monday 26 November 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police authority area in England in each year since 1997; and what the ratio of police officers to residents was in each area, in each year. (165647)

The available data are given in the following table.

Police officer strength and total officers per 100,000 population1 (FTE)2 by police force area as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 20073,4

31 March 1997

31 March 1998

31 March 1999

31 March 20005

Police force

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Avon and Somerset

2,989

204

2,976

203

2,999

203

2,934

197

Bedfordshire

1,094

200

1,079

197

1,041

189

1,028

185

Cambridgeshire

1,302

188

1,291

184

1,274

179

1,237

172

Cheshire

2,046

209

2,042

208

2,071

211

2,011

204

Cleveland

1,459

261

1,483

266

1,416

255

1,404

252

Cumbria

1,144

233

1,164

237

1,126

229

1,084

220

Derbyshire

1,791

187

1,772

184

1,759

182

1,777

183

Devon and Cornwall

2,865

186

2,962

192

2,887

186

2,841

182

Dorset

1,284

189

1,310

192

1,279

186

1,306

189

Durham

1,461

240

1,515

249

1,568

258

1,558

256

Essex

2,961

197

2,928

193

2,891

190

2,806

183

Gloucestershire

1,133

205

1,104

198

1,104

197

1,114

200

Greater Manchester

6,922

268

6,949

270

6,810

265

6,795

264

Hampshire

3,452

198

3,490

199

3,473

197

3,419

193

Hertfordshire

1,759

205

1,740

202

1,724

198

1,767

201

Humberside

2,045

230

2,021

228

1,974

223

1,932

219

Kent

3,260

210

3,251

209

3,201

204

3,204

204

Lancashire

3,247

228

3,257

229

3,245

228

3,179

223

Leicestershire

1,949

211

1,983

214

1,993

215

1,993

215

Lincolnshire

1,196

196

1,191

193

1,140

184

1,115

179

London, City of6

859

825

778

732

Merseyside

4,230

296

4,216

297

4,211

298

4,085

290

Metropolitan Police

26,677

367

26,094

356

26,073

352

25,485

341

Norfolk

1,432

185

1,430

184

1,381

176

1,381

175

Northamptonshire

1,177

196

1,169

193

1,137

186

1,117

181

Northumbria

3,677

256

3,769

263

3,840

269

3,788

266

North Yorkshire

1,338

183

1,367

186

1,337

181

1,283

173

Nottinghamshire

2,323

225

2,323

225

2,225

216

2,204

214

South Yorkshire

3,159

242

3,182

244

3,168

243

3,163

243

Staffordshire

2,211

209

2,292

217

2,238

211

2,170

204

Suffolk

1,180

180

1,186

179

1,190

179

1,145

171

Surrey

1,620

209

1,608

207

1,662

212

1,785

227

Sussex

3,085

211

3,038

206

2,847

191

2,822

188

Thames Valley

3,695

180

3,776

183

3,748

180

3,740

178

Warwickshire

926

186

924

185

908

180

900

178

West Mercia

2,040

183

2,010

180

2,025

180

1,887

166

West Midlands

7,113

270

7,156

271

7,321

278

7,194

274

West Yorkshire

5,209

247

5,155

244

4,982

236

4,822

228

Wiltshire

1,154

195

1,156

195

1,151

192

1,118

185

31 March 2001531 March 2002331 March 20034

Police force

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Avon and Somerset

2,960

197

3,096

205

3,160

213

Bedfordshire

1,036

184

1,069

189

1,119

198

Cambridgeshire

1,296

179

1,362

187

1,391

196

Cheshire

2,002

204

2,059

209

2,137

217

Cleveland

1,407

253

1,461

263

1,592

294

Cumbria

1,048

213

1,100

224

1,154

237

Derbyshire

1,823

187

1,848

189

2,010

210

Devon and Cornwall

2,934

187

3,053

192

3,215

204

Dorset

1,354

196

1,381

198

1,422

205

Durham

1,595

263

1,614

266

1,662

281

Essex

2,887

178

2,946

181

3,007

186

Gloucestershire

1,173

209

1,183

209

1,237

219

Greater Manchester

6,909

268

7,217

279

7,391

298

Hampshire

3,435

193

3,480

195

3,707

208

Hertfordshire

1,922

184

1,825

174

1,977

191

Humberside

1,917

217

2,058

234

2,123

244

Kent

3,319

209

3,355

210

3,488

221

Lancashire

3,255

228

3,304

231

3,380

239

Leicestershire

2,033

217

2,100

224

2,147

232

Lincolnshire

1,202

191

1,198

189

1,236

191

London, City of6

703

764

811

Merseyside

4,081

291

4,125

294

4,112

302

Metropolitan Police

24,878

351

26,223

366

28,231

404

Norfolk

1,420

178

1,468

183

1,509

189

Northamptonshire

1,157

186

1,214

194

1,222

194

Northumbria

3,857

272

3,929

278

4,018

290

North Yorkshire

1,305

175

1,417

188

1,452

193

Nottinghamshire

2,212

214

2,330

226

2,426

239

South Yorkshire

3,197

245

3,199

246

3,194

252

Staffordshire

2,129

201

2,133

201

2,224

212

Suffolk

1,133

168

1,203

177

1,258

188

Surrey

2,066

192

1,992

184

1,933

182

Sussex

2,855

188

2,893

190

3,037

203

Thames Valley

3,703

175

3,762

177

3,899

186

Warwickshire

926

182

969

190

1,000

198

West Mercia

1,951

171

2,018

176

2,267

196

West Midlands

7,423

283

7,681

293

7,832

307

West Yorkshire

4,815

228

4,889

230

5,037

242

Wiltshire

1,120

184

1,157

189

1,169

190

31 March 200431 March 200531 March 200631 March 2007

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Total police officer strength (FTE)

Total police officers per 100,000 population

Avon and Somerset

3,417

229

3,398

225

3,439

226

3,430

224

Bedfordshire

1,199

210

1,232

215

1,225

213

1,204

207

Cambridgeshire

1,412

197

1,418

194

1,449

196

1,402

187

Cheshire

2,204

224

2,207

223

2,218

223

2,235

225

Cleveland

1,697

314

1,689

305

1,702

308

1,739

315

Cumbria

1,241

254

1,260

257

1,265

256

1,273

255

Derbyshire

2,084

216

2,082

213

2,073

212

2,049

209

Devon and Cornwall

3,311

208

3,399

212

3,540

219

3,523

216

Dorset

1,453

209

1,475

211

1,512

216

1,526

217

Durham

1,701

288

1,738

293

1,716

288

1,705

285

Essex

3,120

192

3,230

198

3,322

203

3,341

203

Gloucestershire

1,298

229

1,308

230

1,303

228

1,319

229

Greater Manchester

8,111

323

8,119

321

8,071

318

7,992

314

Hampshire

3,780

211

3,803

212

3,800

211

3,887

215

Hertfordshire

2,117

204

2,145

206

2,166

208

2,202

210

Humberside

2,231

256

2,252

255

2,232

251

2,235

251

Kent

3,621

228

3,630

227

3,648

227

3,720

229

Lancashire

3,579

252

3,585

251

3,635

253

3,628

252

Leicestershire

2,300

246

2,311

246

2,277

241

2,255

237

Lincolnshire

1,241

189

1,234

185

1,236

183

1,243

183

London, City of6

856

881

875

861

Merseyside

4,129

303

4,339

318

4,302

315

4,441

325

Metropolitan Police

30,035

420

31,073

433

30,948

417

31,128

426

Norfolk

1,524

190

1,554

192

1,575

193

1,577

191

Northamptonshire

1,261

198

1,289

201

1,338

207

1,301

200

Northumbria

4,061

294

4,088

294

4,066

291

3,981

283

North Yorkshire

1,534

203

1,561

206

1,653

216

1,671

217

Nottinghamshire

2,507

245

2,522

245

2,512

243

2,445

235

South Yorkshire

3,307

261

3,307

260

3,305

259

3,289

256

Staffordshire

2,286

218

2,309

220

2,302

219

2,315

219

Suffolk

1,314

196

1,323

195

1,307

191

1 ,358

196

Surrey

1,942

183

1,959

184

1,967

184

1,963

183

Sussex

3,090

206

3,094

205

3,127

207

3,113

205

Thames Valley

4,103

195

4,189

198

4,288

202

4,260

199

Warwickshire

1,011

197

1,012

195

1,040

198

1,061

199

West Mercia

2,365

202

2,380

203

2,385

202

2,428

205

West Midlands

8,008

311

8,154

316

8,192

318

8,245

318

West Yorkshire

5,313

254

5,671

271

5,685

270

5,713

270

Wiltshire

1,225

198

1,229

198

1,230

196

1,208

192

1 This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

2 Full-time equivalent excludes those on career breaks or maternity leave.

3 Figures for 1997 to March 2002 exclude those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore figures after March 2002 are not directly comparable with prior years.

4 Figures from April 2002 onwards include those officers who are on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.

5 Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces.

6 Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan police are combined.