Written question asked by David Leslie Taylor (Labour) on Friday, 23 January 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 28 January 2009. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 January 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Police: Manpower

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sworn police officers there are in England and Wales; and how many (a) occupy non-front line posts and (b) are on permanent restricted duties.

Answer: There were 141,859 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in the 43 forces of England and Wales as at 31 March 2008.There were 17,573 FTE non-operational police officers in the 43 forces of England and Wales as at 31 March 2008. Such officers include any member of staff whose primary role is to support the delivery of the overarching aims of the police service or to service the internal needs of the organisation.There were 4,821 police officers (headcount) in the 43 forces of England and Wales on temporary restricted duty as at 31 March 2008.

Secondary information