Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the rate of recruitment and resignation of police firearms officers has remained stable over the past five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on the number of armed police officers in the Police use of firearms statistics. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2024 and can be accessed at at Gov.UK.
There were a total of 6,473 armed officers as at 31 March 2024, a decrease of 3% (-178) compared with 31 March 2023 (6,651).
Of the 6,473 armed officers, 5,861 were operationally deployable armed officers (91%). This proportion was the same as the year ending 31 March 2023, and 2 percentage points lower than in the year ending 31 March 2022 (93%).
As at 31 March 2024, there were 3% fewer (-177) operationally deployable armed officers than in the year ending 31 March 2023. ‘Operationally deployable’ excludes officers who were absent due to sickness (long or short-term) or on restricted duties.
A 5-year armed officer uplift programme, with the aim to train and equip 1,000 extra firearm officers was announced on 1 April 2016 (separate from the recent recruitment of an additional 20,000 officers). Following the programme, the number of operationally deployable armed officers increased from 5,639 on 31 March 2016, to a peak of 6,621 on 31 March 2019 (Figure 4).
Since 31 March 2019, the number of operationally deployable armed officers has decreased by 760 (to 5,861 on 31 March 2024). This is the fifth consecutive year that the number has decreased. The number of operationally deployable armed officers is 4% (222) higher than before the armed officer uplift programme (31 March 2016).
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of costs for the Emergency Services Network replacement service for Airwave; when the first police force will receive a functioning radio system; and when the roll out to all forces will be completed.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
In its 2021 Business Case the Programme estimated the total cost of providing critical emergency services communications between 2015/16 and 2036/37 to be £11.3bn. This is the combined cost of running the current system Airwave while developing ESN. A revised Programme Business Case setting out a new timetable and costs is expected early next year. This will reflect an extension of the evaluation period from FY2036/37 to FY2043/44 and extended run period for legacy Airwave systems by approximately three years. We plan for the network to be live for first users in early 2027 and are targeting full transition by end of 2029.
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of the Emergency Services Network replacement project for Airwave.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has been in the process of two major procurements for ESN. The Mobile Services contract was awarded to BT/EE by direct award in July 2024 and the second contract is nearing finalisation and expected to be ready by the end of this year. Details will be published on the government commercial disclosure portal Contracts Finder. Airwave will be shut down only when it is safe to do so.
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data or survey information the Department for Transport holds on (1) pedal cyclists breaching road traffic regulations, and (2) near misses or injuries caused by cyclists to pedestrians.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on Fixed Penalty Notices and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of the “Police Powers and Procedures: Other PACE powers” statistical bulletin. The most recent data, for 2021, are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118166/fixed-penalty-notices-and-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-31-december-2021.ods
The Home Office collects data through a national fixed penalty processing system (PentiP), which includes some information on offences of pedal cyclists breaching road traffic collections. However, these data are not routinely published within the motoring offences statistics and are therefore not quality assured. Additionally, data are not collected on whether there were near misses or injuries sustained during an incident.
The Home Office has also been informed by the Department for Transport that they do not hold data regarding either part of the question.
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of (1) their announcement of an additional £970 million in funding for the police service in 2019, (2) the fact that each police officer costs approximately £50,000 a year, and (3) their proposals to fund an increase in police numbers of 3,500 officers, they will instead be able to fund an extra 20,000 police officers.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Police funding is increasing by over £1 billion this year, including council tax and serious violence funding. Police force spending is a decision for PCCs and Chief Constables, considering their local pressures and priorities.
The Home Secretary has committed to prioritising police funding at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they measure the performance and success of the National Crime Agency in limiting the import and supply of controlled substances such as cocaine and heroin.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
In line with the National Serious Organised Crime Performance Framework, disruption data allows for the assessment of varied activities including traditional law enforcement Pursue responses and the broader spectrum of Prevent, Protect and Prepare activities, carried out by a range of agencies and government departments.
Therefore, across SOC threats (including Drugs), the NCA assesses its disruptions by the extent to which an activity is judged to have led to a reduction in the threat from an individual, group, or vulnerability linked to serious and organised crime. This approach helps to calibrate the NCA’s effort towards the highest harm serious and organised criminals and networks.
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average time taken for the Independent Office for Police Conduct to investigate a public complaint about police behaviour.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The information you requested is available on the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) website, published via their annual reports. The 2017/18 report can be accessed
https://policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/Who-we-are/accountability-performance/IOPC_annual_report_and_accounts_2017-18.pdf with previous reports available https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/who-we-are/accountability-and-performance/annual-report-and-plans The police conduct accountability and performance annual report: describes our work over the past year, including the investigations we have carried out, the appeals we have handled, and our work to increase public confidence in the complaints system. It also outlines what we have been doing over the past year to review and implement changes to the way we work.
The 2017/18 performance year, the figures include 9 months of IPCC data (April to December) and 3 months of IOPC data (January to March).
Figures for the 2018/19 performance year will be included in the IOPC’s next annual report which will be laid before Parliament and published later in the year.
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the budget to support the police transformation fund in England and Wales in each of the last three years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
As outlined in a Written Statement on Police Funding (HLWS429) of 31 January 2018 the Police Transformation Fund will remain at £175m in the 2018/19 financial year. £29m of the fund is allocated to enable a national uplift in armed policing capability and capacity.
The fund was £175m in 2017/18 (including £32m for the armed uplift) and £76m in 2016/17 (including £34m for the armed uplift).
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have died from police weapon discharges in England and Wales in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office publication Police use of firearms statistics, England and Wales: April 2016 to March 2017 presents statistics on the number of i) armed officers, ii) police firearms operations and iii) incidents in which police firearms were discharged in the 43 Home Office police forces for the financial years ending March 2009 to March 2017. The data can be found in tables 1, 3 and 4 here:
Below is the relevant extract from the tables to answer part of your request:
How many police firearms officers are employed in England and Wales at present; and how many were employed in each of the last five years (HL7888).
Table 3: Number of armed officers on 31 March 2013 to 31 March 2017
Police force/region | March 2013 | March 2014 | March 2015 | March 2016 | March 2017 |
England and Wales | 6,092 | 5,864 | 5,647 | 5,639 | 6,278 |
How many times police firearms officers have been deployed in England and Wales in each of the last five years (HL7889).
Table 1: Number of police firearms operations, years ending March 2013 to March 2017
Police force/region | March 2013 | March 2014 | March 2015 | March 2016 | March 2017 |
England and Wales | 15,475 | 14,939 | 14,685 | 14,649 | 15,705 |
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on:
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) publication ‘Deaths during or following police contact Statistics for England and Wales 2016/17’ presents statistics on the number of fatal police shootings for the financial years ending March 2007 to March 2017. The data can be found in table A1 here:
https://policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/statistics/Tables_deaths_report1617.ods
Asked by: Lord Hogan-Howe (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in England and Wales were injured in police weapon discharges in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office publication Police use of firearms statistics, England and Wales: April 2016 to March 2017 presents statistics on the number of i) armed officers, ii) police firearms operations and iii) incidents in which police firearms were discharged in the 43 Home Office police forces for the financial years ending March 2009 to March 2017. The data can be found in tables 1, 3 and 4 here:
Below is the relevant extract from the tables to answer part of your request:
How many police firearms officers are employed in England and Wales at present; and how many were employed in each of the last five years (HL7888).
Table 3: Number of armed officers on 31 March 2013 to 31 March 2017
Police force/region | March 2013 | March 2014 | March 2015 | March 2016 | March 2017 |
England and Wales | 6,092 | 5,864 | 5,647 | 5,639 | 6,278 |
How many times police firearms officers have been deployed in England and Wales in each of the last five years (HL7889).
Table 1: Number of police firearms operations, years ending March 2013 to March 2017
Police force/region | March 2013 | March 2014 | March 2015 | March 2016 | March 2017 |
England and Wales | 15,475 | 14,939 | 14,685 | 14,649 | 15,705 |
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on:
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) publication ‘Deaths during or following police contact Statistics for England and Wales 2016/17’ presents statistics on the number of fatal police shootings for the financial years ending March 2007 to March 2017. The data can be found in table A1 here:
https://policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/statistics/Tables_deaths_report1617.ods