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Police Firearms Use (England and Wales)

Volume 471: debated on Thursday 31 January 2008

The statistics for 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 show that the number of police operations in which firearms were authorised was 18,053.

The police discharged a conventional firearm in three incidents.

Armed response vehicles were deployed on 14,530 occasions and there were 6,728 authorised firearms officers in England and Wales.

Full details are set out in the tables below:

Number of Operations in which Firearms were Authorised

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

TOTAL

13991

14827

16657

15981

18891

18053

AVON & SOMERSET

195

262

311

333

247

285

BEDFORDSHIRE

237

301

442

475

575

684

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

114

57

104

241

201

207

CHESHIRE

419

451

397

358

367

340

CLEVELAND

37

170

453

530

657

293

CITY OF LONDON

40

131

364

404

323

239

CUMBRIA

71

77

72

152

112

92

DERBYSHIRE

275

401

369

287

305

223

DEVON & CORNWALL

101

96

112

71

84

80

DORSET

184

193

231

223

263

354

DURHAM

89

83

156

144

291

340

ESSEX

323

312

275

296

432

245

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

165

185

127

176

229

280

GTR MANCHESTER

580

518

507

461

478

481

HAMPSHIRE

198

162

208

237

289

352

HERTFORDSHIRE

112

172

195

185

187

280

HUMBERSIDE

297

187

183

206

362

235

KENT

115

137

207

163

219

170

LANCASHIRE

232

238

318

241

240

410

LEICESTERSHIRE

300

268

295

260

363

334

LINCOLNSHIRE

477

392

386

294

220

157

MERSEYSIDE

1020

628

751

733

669

727

METROPOLITAN

2447

3199

3563

2964

4711

3878

NORFOLK

175

200

178

195

175

153

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

43

138

148

158

137

156

NORTHUMBRIA

1440

1275

1140

977

611

332

NORTH YORKSHIRE

92

100

147

185

183

282

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

384

452

459

408

394

289

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

258

463

484

546

749

737

STAFFORDSHIRE

232

281

255

216

171

250

SUFFOLK

163

270

251

153

202

256

SURREY

245

247

203

151

222

222

SUSSEX

248

204

280

187

190

201

THAMES VALLEY

179

167

195

289

427

264

WARWICKSHIRE

130

149

164

124

180

162

WEST MERCIA

117

91

197

162

122

155

WEST MIDLANDS

822

902

1377

1264

1044

1557

WEST YORKSHIRE

757

604

575

853

1335

1272

WILTSHIRE

45

58

63

88

139

226

DYFED POWYS

28

29

28

51

63

72

GWENT

20

37

40

81

94

133

NORTH WALES

302

259

197

223

350

340

SOUTH WALES

283

281

250

236

279

308

Number of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs)

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

TOTAL

5776

5763

6096

6243

6584

6728

AVON & SOMERSET

116

84

122

118

117

103

BEDFORDSHIRE

48

53

58

56

59

57

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

56

71

60

60

50

46

CHESHIRE

81

89

75

76

73

80

CLEVELAND

85

80

95

100

100

105

CITY OF LONDON

73

72

86

89

86

45

CUMBRIA

92

87

89

90

89

90

DERBYSHIRE

80

69

70

74

75

69

DEVON & CORNWALL

108

115

132

123

122

132

DORSET

57

59

60

64

62

67

DURHAM

86

102

97

103

100

102

ESSEX

180

184

186

202

205

220

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

71

80

82

93

92

94

GTR MANCHESTER

219

202

205

187

245

217

HAMPSHIRE

87

94

94

92

97

83

HERTFORDSHIRE

46

47

50

53

52

49

HUMBERSIDE

96

96

96

101

92

83

KENT

113

93

90

94

94

98

LANCASHIRE

138

129

122

115

123

103

LEICESTERSHIRE

69

68

51

53

59

67

LINCOLNSHIRE

91

87

78

86

87

75

MERSEYSIDE

78

84

94

93

129

139

METROPOLITAN

1805

1823

2060

2134

2331

2584

NORFOLK

104

109

114

125

119

127

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

51

56

52

50

56

59

NORTHUMBRIA

125

99

90

93

98

92

NORTH YORKSHIRE

66

64

60

56

78

67

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

136

131

138

138

149

146

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

92

100

98

122

116

118

STAFFORDSHIRE

71

63

67

76

70

82

SUFFOLK

90

80

96

88

84

78

SURREY

62

48

53

49

51

45

SUSSEX

120

141

134

130

129

129

THAMES VALLEY

156

180

172

176

180

186

WARWICKSHIRE

50

51

46

53

55

59

WEST MERCIA

125

ill1

139

141

152

133

WEST MIDLANDS

111

110

124

134

145

175

WEST YORKSHIRE

116

132

140

130

150

148

WILTSHIRE

71

78

80

74

72

69

DYFED POWYS

77

62

58

79

68

72

GWENT

57

60

71

74

86

64

NORTH WALES

83

75

73

65

57

56

SOUTH WALES

138

125

139

134

130

115

Number of Operations Involving Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs)

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

TOTAL

11574

11848

13218

13137

14355

14530

AVON & SOMERSET

173

215

249

312

167

192

BEDFORDSHIRE

172

269

414

419

534

654

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

43

45

155

172

160

172

CHESHIRE

523

337

356

773

807

793

CLEVELAND

13

63

86

154

285

290

CITY OF LONDON

39

131

364

275

234

183

CUMBRIA

53

45

65

134

90

72

DERBYSHIRE

253

363

312

254

257

183

DEVON & CORNWALL

76

32

94

54

54

76

DORSET

182

180

215

195

246

322

DURHAM

57

66

96

91

256

204

ESSEX

165

176

138

138

155

224

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

140

166

109

121

145

213

GTR MANCHESTER

528

406

440

364

306

214

HAMPSHIRE

116

108

128

167

178

270

HERTFORDSHIRE

81

129

157

155

160

226

HUMBERSIDE

273

170

158

184

335

232

KENT

89

132

193

124

183

373

LANCASHIRE

192

185

273

228

232

383

LEICESTERSHIRE

292

232

269

232

328

313

LINCOLNSHIRE

470

367

355

276

210

147

MERSEYSIDE

974

547

687

677

611

644

METROPOLITAN

1667

2447

2423

2322

2572

2770

NORFOLK

157

186

169

163

149

133

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

25

90

99

89

101

119

NORTHUMBRIA

1349

1204

1063

893

585

299

NORTH YORKSHIRE

60

67

110

144

208

268

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

333

397

404

336

342

256

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

221

280

372

438

632

522

STAFFORDSHIRE

208

241

212

183

154

222

SUFFOLK

116

160

194

119

149

204

SURREY

225

240

190

140

204

209

SUSSEX

189

171

250

163

162

165

THAMES VALLEY

174

167

179

265

355

227

WARWICKSHIRE

104

31

138

102

144

121

WEST MERCIA

100

111

241

152

94

120

WEST MIDLANDS

563

592

975

952

745

518

WEST YORKSHIRE

609

565

543

656

1040

1048

WILTSHIRE

43

39

28

54

124

190

DYFED POWYS

28

29

28

48

55

72

GWENT

16

16

23

74

85

109

NORTH WALES

265

198

153

180

299

295

SOUTH WALES

218

253

161

165

223

283