Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of police officers in Hampshire are classed as rural officers.

The Home Office does not hold information on the number of ‘rural police officers’.

The Home Office collects and publishes data biannually on the size and composition of the police workforce, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

Information is collected annually on the primary function of each officer, however there is no specific function for ‘rural police officers’ or police officers working in rural crime teams. Table F4 of the data tables accompanying the publication details the functions that are used in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ publication.