Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which (a) local authority areas and (b) Parliamentary constituencies asylum hostels are located.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
There are currently seven permanent Initial Accommodation Centres located across the United Kingdom in the cities of Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham, London, Wakefield and Glasgow.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers were employed in Cheshire on 31 March 2015.
Answered by Mike Penning
Data on the number of police officers employed by Cheshire police force on 31 March 2015 are due to be published by the Home Office on 16 July 2015.
The latest available figures are for 30 September 2014, when there were 1,896 full-time equivalent police officers employed by Cheshire police force.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers were employed in Cheshire in each year since 1997.
Answered by Mike Penning
The table provided contains statistics on the number of full-time equivalent police officers employed by Cheshire Police as at 31 March each year from 1997 to 2014 and as at 30 September 2014 (the latest available figures).
As HMIC has made clear, there is no simple link between officer numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a requirement on police forces to ensure that candidates for the role of police constable should have the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing; and whether such candidates have to pay for that certification personally.
Answered by Damian Green
There is no requirement on police forces to ensure that all candidates should
have the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing. It is one of a number of routes
for entry in to a police force and is designed to increase access and inclusion
and to build the profession of policing.
Other routes include a Level 3 qualification, service as a police community
support officer (PCSO) or special constable. It is for chief officers to
determine the most appropriate entry route for their force as they are best
placed to determine the skills and capabilities that are most needed locally.
Providers of the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing are approved by the
College of Policing and it is a matter for each provider to set a fee. The
Skills Funding Agency provides funding for those wishing to undertake this
qualification if they are: i) 18 and under, ii) 23 and under and this is their
first Level 3 qualification, iii) unemployed or iv) ex-military personnel.
Those who do not qualify for such funding may be able to access a student loan
to cover the cost of the fees, which is not repayable until they are earning
£21,000. It would be a matter for the force to decide if they wish to provide
any additional support.