I have been asked to reply.
The available data are given in the table.
1998-994 1999-20004, 5 2000-014, 5 2001-024, 5 2002-036 2003-046 2004-056 2005-066 2006-076 2007-086 Avon and Somerset 207 200 211 214 216 222 228 215 148 160 Bedfordshire 79 73 69 69 75 80 80 81 68 65 Cambridgeshire 96 93 86 78 85 99 101 99 96 90 Cheshire 205 196 187 194 194 200 194 85 91 94 City of London 24 22 24 25 24 24 28 24 23 26 Cleveland 67 68 63 67 64 73 2 61 72 104 Cumbria 117 119 111 108 107 110 108 111 114 99 Derbyshire 147 139 136 140 107 121 116 119 110 109 Devon and Cornwall 212 215 202 187 192 198 211 215 225 232 Dorset 77 83 86 81 91 86 82 81 80 78 Durham 117 116 113 113 111 119 108 105 100 107 Dyfed-Powys 97 93 83 75 136 105 141 143 136 126 Essex 259 245 249 254 241 242 243 243 231 219 Gloucestershire 82 68 69 64 62 66 67 73 67 67 Greater Manchester 434 433 423 421 406 392 359 342 352 338 Gwent 88 90 89 87 93 95 96 102 95 57 Hampshire 278 251 240 240 248 246 244 240 237 214 Hertfordshire 158 155 168 149 150 151 149 149 145 152 Humberside 149 155 145 136 123 119 225 181 100 104 Kent7 119 103 104 104 104 122 116 109 122 Lancashire 225 220 217 220 198 187 190 197 184 180 Leicestershire7 86 87 95 — 92 95 85 77 72 74 Lincolnshire 95 93 88 98 90 89 96 102 100 92 Merseyside 200 185 130 126 125 119 115 138 150 152 Metropolitan Police7 782 824 686 — 583 592 1,029 603 611 612 Norfolk 107 109 113 114 120 121 107 112 110 118 North Wales 236 134 146 152 115 114 76 81 98 90 North Yorkshire 128 96 129 140 151 138 101 97 99 105 Northamptonshire 87 52 52 61 70 71 65 63 63 60 Northumbria 162 158 158 178 245 253 165 167 172 165 Nottinghamshire 182 167 175 111 26 121 133 134 139 144 South Wales 220 224 238 244 243 245 243 243 252 233 South Yorkshire 197 196 206 208 180 127 134 141 143 144 Staffordshire 208 188 35 34 50 49 58 28 35 34 Suffolk 74 70 63 68 68 72 76 80 77 81 Surrey 177 173 197 110 108 110 107 99 87 98 Sussex 197 191 190 174 164 163 163 160 169 160 Thames Valley 265 251 251 247 259 259 245 236 237 250 Warwickshire 106 102 96 95 103 103 93 97 93 93 West Mercia 238 278 322 325 292 115 117 116 129 128 West Midlands 405 394 380 385 384 405 393 401 383 352 West Yorkshire 331 323 326 336 320 314 317 343 324 283 Wiltshire 90 93 91 88 91 96 93 13 89 91 England and Wales 7,806 7,522 7,238 6,317 6,902 6,706 7,104 6,511 6,412 6,299 1 This and other tables contain 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 Data as at 31 March in each of the given years. 3 Variations in the proportion of police officers deployed to traffic duties to some extent reflects the presence of motorways and key A roads in certain force areas. 4 Data collected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) for the number of officers who are deployed to all traffic duties. It is not possible to segregate officers on speed enforcement duties from other officers deployed to traffic duties. The table therefore provides data for all officers deployed to traffic duties. 5 The basis on which HMIC classify police service staff changed in the year 1999-2000 so the figures for 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03 are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. Some officers counted as deployed to traffic duties in earlier years may, from 1999-2000 onward, have been recorded as deployed to duties relating to traffic wardens. 6 Data collected by Home Office and not by HMIC. Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motorcycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. This does not include officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties. 7 Data unavailable for in all given years.
1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 North east 346 342 334 358 419 445 275 333 344 376 North west 1,180 1,153 1,068 1,068 1,030 1,008 966 873 890 862 Yorkshire and the Humber 804 770 807 821 775 698 776 762 666 636 East Midlands 596 537 545 410 385 497 495 494 483 477 West Midlands 957 962 833 839 829 672 661 642 640 606 Eastern 773 745 747 731 739 765 756 763 726 725 London 806 846 710 25 607 616 1,057 627 634 638 South east 1,035 969 981 874 882 778 881 852 839 844 South west 667 659 658 633 650 668 681 596 610 628 Wales 641 541 556 558 587 559 556 569 580 506 England and Wales 7,806 7,522 7,238 6,317 6,902 6,706 7,104 6,511 6,412 6,299 1 This and other tables contain 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 All data compiled from table 1.