The latest figures from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 show that:
The number of police operations in which firearms were authorised was 19,951—an increase of 57 (0.3 per cent.) on the previous year.
The number of authorised firearms officers (AFO’s) was 6,868—an increase of 88 (1.3 per cent.) officers overall on the previous year.
The number of operations involving armed response vehicles was 16,564—an increase of 1,139 (7.4 per cent.) on the previous year.
The police discharged a conventional firearm in four incidents (down from seven incidents in 2007-08).
Full details are set out in the tables below:
Year 2001-2 2002-3 2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 AVON & SOMERSET 195 262 311 333 247 285 328 339 BEDFORDSHIRE 237 301 442 475 575 663 1,217 1,229 CAMBRIDGESHIRE 114 57 104 241 201 207 316 460 CHESHIRE 419 451 397 358 367 340 317 269 CLEVELAND 37 170 453 530 657 293 577 667 CITY OF LONDON 40 131 364 404 323 239 365 63 CUMBRIA 71 77 72 152 112 92 92 86 DERBYSHIRE 275 401 369 287 305 223 211 310 DEVON & CORNWALL 101 96 112 71 84 80 143 170 DORSET 184 193 231 223 263 354 258 369 DURHAM 89 83 156 144 291 340 206 181 ESSEX 323 312 275 296 432 245 529 529 GLOUCESTERSHIRE 165 185 127 176 229 280 162 132 GTR MANCHESTER 580 518 507 461 478 481 497 524 HAMPSHIRE 198 162 208 237 289 352 382 362 HERTFORDSHIRE 112 172 195 185 187 280 303 343 HUMBERSIDE 297 187 183 206 362 235 209 123 KENT 115 137 207 163 219 170 202 280 LANCASHIRE 232 238 318 241 240 410 388 281 LEICESTERSHIRE 300 268 295 260 363 334 318 347 LINCOLNSHIRE 477 392 386 294 220 157 158 133 MERSEYSIDE 1,020 628 751 733 669 727 829 556 METROPOLITAN 2,447 3,199 3,563 2,964 4,711 3,878 4,948 5,044 NORFOLK 175 200 178 195 175 153 174 274 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 43 138 148 158 137 156 159 120 NORTHUMBRIA 1,440 1,275 1,140 977 611 332 229 154 NORTH YORKSHIRE 92 100 147 185 183 282 329 289 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 384 452 459 408 394 289 270 245 SOUTH YORKSHIRE 258 463 484 546 749 737 628 538 STAFFORDSHIRE 232 281 255 216 171 250 244 209 SUFFOLK 163 270 251 153 202 256 193 237 SURREY 245 247 203 151 222 222 375 479 SUSSEX 248 204 280 187 190 201 331 331 THAMES VALLEY 179 167 195 289 427 264 293 344 WARWICKSHIRE 130 149 164 124 180 162 150 145 WEST MERCIA 117 91 197 162 122 155 202 171 WEST MIDLANDS (1) 822 902 1,377 1,264 1,044 1,557 1,063 1,109 WEST YORKSHIRE 757 604 575 853 1,335 1,272 1,130 1,367 WILTSHIRE 45 58 63 88 139 226 128 158 DYFED POWYS 28 29 28 51 63 72 155 92 GWENT 20 37 40 81 94 133 334 152 NORTH WALES 302 259 197 223 350 340 259 185 SOUTH WALES 283 281 250 236 279 308 293 555 TOTAL 13,991 14,827 16,657 15,981 18,891 18,032 19,894 19,951 Source: See Notes for tables 1. Revised figures for 2007-8 from West Midlands Police
Year 2001-2 2002-3 2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 AVON & SOMERSET 116 84 122 118 117 103 123 127 BEDFORDSHIRE 48 53 58 56 59 57 53 50 CAMBRIDGESHIRE 56 71 60 60 50 46 49 51 CHESHIRE 81 89 75 76 73 80 72 88 CLEVELAND 85 80 95 100 100 105 97 83 CITY OF LONDON 73 72 86 89 86 45 49 50 CUMBRIA 92 87 89 90 89 90 97 86 DERBYSHIRE 80 69 70 74 75 69 61 61 DEVON & CORNWALL 108 115 132 123 122 132 142 146 DORSET 57 59 60 64 62 67 71 79 DURHAM 86 102 97 103 100 102 89 82 ESSEX 180 184 186 202 205 220 225 223 GLOUCESTERSHIRE 71 80 82 93 92 94 95 97 GTR MANCHESTER 219 202 205 187 245 217 250 296 HAMPSHIRE 87 94 94 92 97 83 85 93 HERTFORDSHIRE 46 47 50 53 52 49 53 50 HUMBERSIDE 96 96 96 101 92 83 87 80 KENT 113 93 90 94 94 98 87 110 LANCASHIRE 138 129 122 115 123 103 143 105 LEICESTERSHIRE 69 68 51 53 59 67 64 73 LINCOLNSHIRE 91 87 78 86 87 75 77 69 MERSEYSIDE 78 84 94 93 129 139 153 154 METROPOLITAN 1,805 1,823 2,060 2,134 2,331 2,584 2,530 2,740 NORFOLK 104 109 114 125 119 127 114 106 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 51 56 52 50 56 59 53 50 NORTHUMBRIA 125 99 90 93 98 92 96 95 NORTH YORKSHIRE 66 64 60 56 78 67 67 63 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 136 131 138 138 149 146 137 133 SOUTH YORKSHIRE 92 100 98 122 116 118 106 99 STAFFORDSHIRE 71 63 67 76 70 82 82 75 SUFFOLK 90 80 96 88 84 78 74 67 SURREY 62 48 53 49 51 45 54 54 SUSSEX 120 141 134 130 129 129 123 123 THAMES VALLEY 156 180 172 176 180 186 180 180 WARWICKSHIRE 50 51 46 53 55 59 63 66 WEST MERCIA 125 131 139 141 152 133 163 99 WEST MIDLANDS 111 110 124 134 145 175 177 165 WEST YORKSHIRE 116 132 140 130 150 148 147 135 WILTSHIRE 71 78 80 74 72 69 67 74 DYFED POWYS 77 62 58 79 68 72 67 63 GWENT 57 60 71 74 86 64 63 54 NORTH WALES 83 75 73 65 57 56 57 53 SOUTH WALES 138 125 139 134 130 115 138 121 TOTAL 5,776 5,763 6,096 6,243 6,584 6,728 6,780 6,868 Source: See Notes for tables
Year 2001-2 2002-3 2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 AVON & SOMERSET 173 215 249 312 167 192 292 231 BEDFORDSHIRE 172 269 414 419 534 639 1,171 1,188 CAMBRIDGESHIRE 43 45 155 172 160 172 221 366 CHESHIRE 523 337 356 773 807 793 642 221 CLEVELAND 13 63 86 154 285 290 554 661 CITY OF LONDON 39 131 364 275 234 183 200 63 CUMBRIA 53 45 65 134 90 72 74 56 DERBYSHIRE 253 363 312 254 257 183 187 252 DEVON & CORNWALL 76 32 94 54 54 76 120 138 DORSET 182 180 215 195 246 322 238 347 DURHAM 57 66 96 91 256 204 192 164 ESSEX 165 176 138 138 155 224 226 391 GLOUCESTERSHIRE 140 166 109 121 145 213 147 120 GTR MANCHESTER 528 406 440 364 306 214 196 460 HAMPSHIRE 116 108 128 167 178 270 271 247 HERTFORDSHIRE 81 129 157 155 160 226 262 311 HUMBERSIDE 273 170 158 184 335 232 183 94 KENT 89 132 193 124 183 373 364 325 LANCASHIRE 192 185 273 228 232 383 313 279 LEICESTERSHIRE 292 232 269 232 328 313 268 332 LINCOLNSHIRE 470 367 355 276 210 147 153 128 MERSEYSIDE 974 547 687 677 611 644 734 445 METROPOLITAN 1,667 2,447 2,423 2,322 2,572 2,770 2,303 3,283 NORFOLK 157 186 169 163 149 133 165 252 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 25 90 99 89 101 119 127 117 NORTHUMBRIA 1,349 1,204 1,063 893 585 299 199 129 NORTH YORKSHIRE 60 67 110 144 208 268 318 287 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 333 397 404 336 342 256 246 197 SOUTH YORKSHIRE 221 280 322 438 632 522 493 387 STAFFORDSHIRE 208 241 212 183 154 222 231 192 SUFFOLK 116 160 194 119 149 204 148 206 SURREY 225 240 190 140 204 209 380 469 SUSSEX 189 171 250 163 162 165 311 248 THAMES VALLEY 174 167 179 265 355 227 254 292 WARWICKSHIRE 104 31 138 102 144 121 113 100 WEST MERCIA 100 111 241 152 94 120 121 128 WEST MIDLANDS (1) 563 592 975 952 745 518 716 739 WEST YORKSHIRE 609 565 543 656 1,040 1,048 1,098 1,361 WILTSHIRE 43 39 28 54 124 190 359 499 DYFED POWYS 28 29 28 48 55 72 135 80 GWENT 16 16 23 74 85 109 257 138 NORTH WALES 265 198 153 180 299 295 221 156 SOUTH WALES 218 253 161 165 223 283 222 485 TOTAL 11,574 11,848 13,218 13,137 14,355 14,515 15,425 16,564 Source: See Notes for tables 1. Revised figures for 2007-8 from West Midlands Police
Year 2001-2 2002-3 2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 INCIDENTS (1) 11 10 4 5 9 3 7 4 % OF INCIDENTS COMPARED WITH NUMBER OF AUTHORISED OPERATIONS 0.079 0.067 0.024 0.031 0.048 0.017 0.033 0.020 Source: Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) 1. Does not include discharges for animal destruction or discharges during police training
Notes for tables:
Source: Home Office Public Order Unit, based on information aggregated from figures provided by individual police forces as part of the Home Office Annual Data Requirement. This was followed by a further quality assurance process involving the Home Office asking individual forces to verify and sign off their figures.
The information provided is a regular annual update of figures previously published (Official Report, 2 March 2009, Column 39WS), and on the Home Office website:
http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/operational-policing/police-firearms-use-2007-2008.html
Home Office guidance to forces for providing these figures is contained within the booklet “Annual Data Requirement, Police Personnel and Performance Data, Notes for Guidance”. For the purpose of this statistical return AFOs are deemed to be deployed when “they are required to conduct a specific task during which their possession of a firearm (with appropriate authorisation) is a required element” (Chapter 3, paragraph 3.1 “ACPO Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms”).
In addition to the total number of operations, a further sub-category is required regarding those operations where the initial or sole response is by armed response vehicle (ARV).
Each incident will be classed as only one operation regardless of the number of personnel/deployments or tactics employed to deal with the incident.
Deployments also include those incidents where AFOs “self-authorise”
The number of officers authorised to use firearms as at 31 March 2009.