Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many traffic police (as full-time equivalent) have been employed in Essex in each year from 2010 to date.

The table provided shows the number and proportion of full-time equivalent police officers within the traffic function for Essex police force, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2014.

The variation in the figures between 2013 and 2014 is due to a review of the functionality of roles within the force as part of their Change Programme.

Number of and proportion of full-time equivalent1 police officers within the traffic function2, 3 in Essex police force,

as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2014.4

1. This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been presented to the nearest whole number.

2. Traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motor-cycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. This includes officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination, radar duties and those working with hazardous chemicals.

3. Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. This may explain some variability between years.

4. Figures have been confirmed by all police forces after collection and before publication each year.

5. The variation in Essex Police’s figures between 2013 and 2014 is due to a review of the functionality of roles within the force as part of their Change Programme.