Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Excerpts
Monday 1st November 2010

(14 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Herbert of South Downs Portrait Nick Herbert
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I will not be drawn on the European budget, but I can tell the hon. Gentleman what the previous Government spent too much on—red tape that tied up police officers and wasted police time. When we had a position whereby police officers were spending more time on paperwork than on patrol, we knew that something had gone wrong: it was costly and it reduced police availability.

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Portrait Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
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Can the Minister tell us how we got to the sorry state in which warranted police officers are inside the building doing the police work and non-warranted officers—community support officers—are on the streets without the power of arrest?