Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 146837, what information his Department collects on resourcing for specific police functions and job roles; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the number of successful prosecutions of not collecting information on the number of officers employed as detectives.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the primary roles that police officers, police staff and police community support officers perform, by Police Force Area, in England and Wales. These data are published annually as part of the 'Police workforce, England and Wales' statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017

The latest available data, which covers the situation as at 31 March 2017, can be found in Table F1, F2 and F3 of the data tables accompanying the main release. Police workers with multiple responsibilities are recorded under their primary function. Figures are presented on a full-time equivalent basis.

The next available data, covering the picture as at 31 March 2018, is scheduled for publication on 19 July, and will be available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales

We are helping the police respond to changing demand with a £460m increase in overall funding 2018/19, including through Council Tax precept. Decisions on resources, including the number of detectives employed and how they are deployed is a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables.