The available data are given in the tables.
The Government have increased the funding for special constables to ensure that there will be an extra 6,000 officers by 2011.
This information is not complete as some forces have not provided data, and the information was not collected before 2002-03.
In order to reduce bureaucracy still further, it will no longer be collected by the Home Office in the future.
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Avon and Somerset 48,578 61,485 n/a 77,974 96,021 80,981 Bedfordshire 17,888 25,000 42,107 46,972 57,393 45,000 Cambridgeshire n/a n/a n/a 37,451 44,799 46,545 Cheshire 28,588 22,268 30,421 52,516 66,045 59,683 Cleveland 11,950 13,028 n/a n/a n/a n/a Cumbria 13,816 9,356 22,231 32,694 32,061 30,462 Derbyshire n/a n/a n/a 59,758 50,639 43,227 Devon and Cornwall 79,620 68,484 44,212 n/a n/a n/a Dorset 38,349 35,307 35,960 45,658 60,991 54,054 Durham n/a n/a n/a 18,887 20,914 n/a Dyfed-Powys 5,251 5,033 4,276 14,075 18,349 14,136 Essex 82,940 83,638 95,593 118,175 119,018 145,477 Gloucestershire 20,800 12,455 17,101 20,484 18,741 14,228 Greater Manchester n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Gwent 19,451 15,242 25,623 12,606 14,028 12,222 Hampshire 78,036 81,354 80,677 90,300 103,276 83,864 Hertfordshire 54,853 67,258 74,021 74,437 81,437 89,010 Humberside 27,499 n/a n/a 63,624 82,469 80,095 Kent 98,680 83,962 90,244 84,206 81,018 82,600 Lancashire n/a n/a 72,592 82,866 88,300 n/a Leicestershire 16,589 18,512 n/a 36,342 48,085 46,865 Lincolnshire 24,336 26,692 26,843 25,823 25,616 19,056 London, City of 7,954 10,312 9,719 8,615 6,629 11,508 Merseyside 80,723 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Metropolitan Police n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Norfolk 59,208 32,879 21,102 59,500 58,000 64,140 Northamptonshire 38,304 36,651 59,691 52,167 42,496 25,509 Northumbria 26,842 23,269 23,150 21,723 8,287 5,524 North Wales n/a n/a n/a 14,568 17,362 26,316 North Yorkshire n/a n/a n/a 26,892 30,912 29,612 Nottinghamshire n/a n/a n/a 29,706 50,455 53,196 South Wales 29,346 54,870 n/a 53,629 35,583 27,720 South Yorkshire 34,005 27,145 28,617 52,383 48,014 53,837 Staffordshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 77,168 Suffolk 53,487 50,681 n/a 37,437 59,551 64,524 Surrey n/a n/a 47,245 66,867 70,290 n/a Sussex n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 55,148 Thames Valley 58,690 62,108 n/a 52,358 n/a n/a Warwickshire 50,208 45,107 51,227 49,629 34,192 25,523 West Mercia 51,985 41,000 42,128 n/a n/a 44,588 West Midlands n/a n/a n/a 176,630 158,350 131,127 West Yorkshire 69,517 62,016 60,641 64,395 63,731 55,374 Wiltshire 29,664 33,739 43,480 39,619 29,815 n/a n/a = Data unavailable. 1 The data are unvalidated and therefore provided on a provisional basis only
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Avon and Somerset 345 305 396 408 404 444 Bedfordshire 98 146 209 181 166 142 Cambridgeshire 189 193 199 185 202 210 Cheshire 161 173 192 225 291 282 Cleveland 102 85 66 138 179 195 Cumbria 94 77 126 152 166 142 Derbyshire 249 301 369 429 506 445 Devon and Cornwall 645 602 582 572 549 505 Dorset 214 210 230 264 295 295 Durham 94 81 91 109 117 126 Dyfed-Powys 152 151 167 194 190 169 Essex 371 349 363 439 451 559 Gloucestershire 157 155 146 157 133 143 Greater Manchester 340 345 380 424 403 350 Gwent 130 136 144 137 145 204 Hampshire 373 346 369 388 439 457 Hertfordshire 193 206 226 232 268 266 Humberside 157 209 328 330 344 344 Kent 286 341 338 306 293 349 Lancashire 351 336 319 366 379 393 Leicestershire 149 159 181 168 178 202 Lincolnshire 139 156 179 166 171 165 London, City of 42 54 52 70 74 72 Merseyside 503 371 259 345 392 456 Metropolitan Police 692 742 697 1,221 1,741 2,510 Norfolk 239 241 253 262 271 271 Northamptonshire 189 197 242 237 214 180 Northumbria 221 169 240 198 191 123 North Wales 133 124 124 136 164 160 North Yorkshire 177 160 173 189 184 178 Nottinghamshire 261 295 333 361 382 378 South Wales 173 218 198 281 301 334 South Yorkshire 204 200 204 270 298 264 Staffordshire 391 376 409 406 380 371 Suffolk 275 266 267 293 305 360 Surrey 212 255 289 280 275 278 Sussex 303 181 200 197 204 199 Thames Valley 369 341 375 327 286 246 Warwickshire 190 169 190 211 200 208 West Mercia 309 280 263 284 274 251 West Midlands 637 715 959 1,021 937 769 West Yorkshire 374 403 417 440 494 403 Wiltshire 154 169 174 180 185 149 1 Total strength is based on headcount figures.
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Avon and Somerset 141 202 n/a 191 238 182 Bedfordshire 183 171 201 260 346 317 Cambridgeshire n/a n/a n/a 202 222 222 Cheshire 178 129 158 233 227 212 Cleveland 117 153 n/a n/a n/a n/a Cumbria 147 122 176 215 193 215 Derbyshire n/a n/a n/a 139 100 97 Devon and Cornwall 123 114 76 n/a n/a n/a Dorset 179 168 156 173 207 183 Durham n/a n/a n/a 173 179 n/a Dyfed-Powys 35 33 26 73 97 84 Essex 224 240 263 269 264 260 Gloucestershire 132 80 117 130 141 99 Greater Manchester n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Gwent 150 112 178 92 97 60 Hampshire 209 235 219 233 235 184 Hertfordshire 284 326 328 321 304 335 Humberside 175 n/a n/a 193 240 233 Kent 345 246 267 275 277 237 Lancashire n/a n/a 228 226 233 n/a Leicestershire 111 116 n/a 216 270 232 Lincolnshire 175 171 150 156 150 115 London, City of 189 191 187 123 90 160 Merseyside 160 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Metropolitan Police n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Norfolk 248 136 83 227 214 237 Northamptonshire 203 186 247 220 199 142 Northumbria 121 138 96 110 43 45 North Wales n/a n/a n/a 107 106 164 North Yorkshire n/a n/a n/a 142 168 166 Nottinghamshire n/a n/a n/a 82 132 141 South Wales 170 252 n/a 191 118 83 South Yorkshire 167 136 140 194 161 204 Staffordshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 208 Suffolk 194 191 n/a 128 195 179 Surrey n/a n/a 163 239 256 n/a Sussex n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 277 Thames Valley 159 182 n/a 160 n/a n/a Warwickshire 264 267 270 235 171 123 West Mercia 168 146 160 n/a n/a 178 West Midlands n/a n/a n/a 173 169 171 West Yorkshire 186 154 145 146 129 137 Wiltshire 193 200 250 220 161 n/a n/a = Data unavailable 1 Total strength is based on headcount figures.