[holding answer 25 January 2010]: There are currently eight serving and one retired UK civilian police officers deployed to Iraq. Of the serving officers two are from the Metropolitan Police Service, two from Hertfordshire and one from each of the following areas: Cheshire, Norfolk, Northumbria and South Wales.
There are currently 21 serving and eight retired UK civilian police officers deployed to Afghanistan. Of the serving officers 15 are from the Ministry of Defence police, one from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and one from each of the following areas: City of London, Leicestershire, Sussex, Kent and Northumbria.
There are currently 13 serving and two retired UK civilian police officers deployed to other countries on Peace Support Operations (mainly Kosovo and Georgia). Of the serving officers seven are from the Ministry of Defence police, two from the Metropolitan Police Service and one from each of the following areas: Hertfordshire, Surrey, Cheshire and South Wales.
In addition to the above longer-term deployments, which are typically for six to 12 months, shorter term police assistance overseas is provided on a frequent basis. In 2009, the Home Office issued 943 authorisations under section 26 of the Police Act 1996 to police officers and staff from forces in England and Wales in respect of travel overseas to provide assistance to an international organisation or other body engaged outside the UK in policing activities. The majority of these authorisations were in respect of short-term assistance on a wide range of policing matters to numerous countries.
The Home Office does not collect information on the number of officers serving in specialist units in the UK outside their force area.