Written questions by Holden.

What the (a) headcount and (b) full time equivalent police officer workforce was on (a) 1 July 2024 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available in Essex Police; and what the net change was over that period.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Data for this release are collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level as a snapshot at 31 March and 30 September only. As such, data for Essex Police as at 1 July 2024 is not available.The latest information covers the situation as at 31 March 2025. Information on the number of police officers (on both a full-time equivalent and headcount basis), broken down by PFA, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2025 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f314d8adf4250705c96fa/open-data-table-police-workforce-230725.ods.Data on the police workforce as at 30 September 2025 is due to be published on 28 January 2026.

How many full-time equivalent police officers were recorded for Essex Police in each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; and what comparative data the Government holds on changes in officer numbers for Essex Police since 2019.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Data for this release are collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level as a snapshot at 31 March and 30 September only. As such, data for Essex Police as at 1 July 2024 is not available.The latest information covers the situation as at 31 March 2025. Information on the number of police officers (on both a full-time equivalent and headcount basis), broken down by PFA, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2025 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f314d8adf4250705c96fa/open-data-table-police-workforce-230725.ods.Data on the police workforce as at 30 September 2025 is due to be published on 28 January 2026.

What assessment (a) her Department and (b) the National Crime Agency have made of the potential impact of extended family networks on facilitating the use of informal value transfer systems, including hawala, for the purposes of money laundering, terrorist financing and people trafficking.

The latest version of the Government’s National Risk Assessment (NRA) of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing was published in July 2025, and reflects expert contributions from government, law enforcement and the private sector. The NRA 2025 specifically covers the risks from Informal Value Transfer Systems (IVTS), including Hawala networks. The NRA notes that IVTS can be exploited by criminals and terrorist actors. Furthermore, where IVTS are identified in UK money laundering investigations, they are principally linked to international laundering networks given their access to stores of value in locations which are useful to criminals.In addition, the NCA published a National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime in 2025 (the NSA). The NSA identifies that IVTS are a widely used method of transferring money and are legal in the UK as long as the operator adheres to the Money Laundering Regulations and registers with HMRC for supervision. However, it is also known that serious and organised criminals use IVTS as a parallel banking facility due to the perception of lower chances of detection.

How many (a) full time equivalent police officers and (b) headcount police officers there were in Essex Police as at 31 March in each financial year since 2019-20; and how many police officers (i) joined and (ii) left Essex Police in each of those years.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of police officers in post, and police officers joining and leaving the police service, on both a headcount and full-time equivalent basis, 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 on the number of police officers in post in Essex Police as at 31 March 2007 to 2025 can be found in the ‘Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f314d8adf4250705c96fa/open-data-table-police-workforce-230725.ods.Information on the number of police officers joining Essex Police between the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2025 can be found in the ‘Joiners Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a363b312ee8a5f0806b7b/open-data-table-police-workforce-joiners-230725.ods.Information on the number of police officers leaving Essex Police between the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2025 can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a364d312ee8a5f0806b7c/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-230725.ods.

Pursuant to the Answer to Question 97331 on Airports: Immigration Controls, for what reason Border Force set queue time service standards at passport control.

The service standards for wait times at passport control, which Border Force publish against, stem from a Ministerial decision to monitor performance more accurately at the border. A huge amount of work is involved to keep passenger wait times to a minimum, whilst maintaining border security, and we remain fully committed to working with our partners to minimise delays. Monitoring wait times, amongst other internal performance indicators, allows us to do just that.

What assessment the Department has made of whether funding arrangements for NaVCIS are adequate to meet levels of operational demand across the freight and logistics sector.

We fully recognise the serious and growing threat that freight crime poses to businesses, drivers, and the wider economy.The Government does not fund NaVCIS. Instead NaVCIS is funded by industry, including finance and leasing companies, insurers and hauliers.NaVCIS is a national policing unit that provides dedicated specialist intelligence, and it engages with a range of partners to tackle organised vehicle crime.

What the net zero targets for the Home Office and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

The Net Zero target and timelines for the Home Office and its arm’s Length bodies, are those which are set out in the Climate Change Act 2008 as a target for the UK.These targets form part of the Greening Government Commitments (GGC), which is the central framework for UK Government Departments and their agencies to reduce their impacts on the environment, including targets to reduce emissions, during the framework period.The Greening Government Commitments are currently under review by DEFRA, to ensure that they remain aligned with government priorities.

Whether expenditure on electric vehicles or electric vehicle charging infrastructure since 4 July 2024 has been incurred directly by their Department or indirectly through contracts with asylum accommodation or transportation providers.

The information sought is not collected and would only be available at disproportionate costAll readily available information on HO EV vehicles and infrastructure was provided in response to UIN 87860.

How many electric vehicles owned or leased by their Department or its arm’s-length bodies are allocated to (a) asylum accommodation operations, (b) migrant transportation, or (c) related contractor-led services; and for what operational purposes those vehicles are used.

The information sought is not collected and would only be available at disproportionate costAll readily available information on HO EV vehicles and infrastructure was provided in response to UIN: 87860.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of ghost plates pose on (a) national security and (b) the ability of hostile or organised criminal actors to evade detection by ANPR technology; and whether she has commissioned a cross-government review on the potential impact of the use of illegal plates on investigative leads, including those related to violent crime, terrorism, and serious organised criminal activity.

Under the new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January by the Department for Transport, the Government has announced firm action to tackle illegal or ‘ghost’ numberplates. This includes consulting on tougher penalties, including penalty points and vehicle seizure, more robust checks on number plate suppliers, and higher industry standards for numberplates. We also intend to commission targeted research to explore the potential use of artificial intelligence to identify illegal plates.In addition, the Government has pledged £2.7m for each of the next three years to support a roads policing innovation programme. As part of this innovation programme, the Department for Transport and Home Office are working in collaboration with National Police Chiefs' Council and others to consider new approaches to tackling the issue of illegal plate usage.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 89631 on Driving under Influence: Testing, whether her Department will begin collecting and publishing data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.

The Home Office does not collect data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.The Department for Transport is developing a Road Safety Strategy, the first in a decade and intends to publish by the end of the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 89631 on Driving under Influence: Testing, if she will publish all assessment her Department has made of the impact of the absence of any data on drug testing on road safety policy and enforcement.

The Home Office does not collect data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.The Department for Transport is developing a Road Safety Strategy, the first in a decade and intends to publish by the end of the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 84267 on the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, what direct financial or in-kind support her Department currently provides to NaVCIS; whether she has assessed the adequacy of its industry-funded model for tackling organised HGV and freight theft; and whether she plans to allocate public funding to support that Service in the 2026-27 financial year.

As noted in response to question 84267, the Government does not fund the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) and has no plans to do so.NaVCIS is funded by industry to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement. However we have regular discussions with key policing partners, including the NPCC, NaVCIS and Opal, the national policing intelligence unit for organised acquisitive crime, about the best ways to tackle organised freight crime.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86746 on Roads: Accidents, whether her Department has received requests from the Department for Transport for data on (a) drug and (b) drink driving tests since July 4th 2024.

As a part of the Annual Data Requirement, the Home Office collects information on roadside breath tests for alcohol, carried out by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales.The Home Office makes all information collected on roadside breath tests for alcohol publicly available as a part of its annual “Police powers and procedures: Roads policing” statistical publication. The latest release is available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UKPublication of this data makes it accessible for use by Other Government Departments, external organisations, and members of the public.The Home Office does not collect data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 31540 on Entry Clearances: Overseas Students, whether her Department has considered using (a) Programme for International Student Assessment results and (b) other international benchmarking data when determining which applicants are required to take additional English language tests.

We refer the honourable member to our answer of 24 February 2025 to PQ UIN 31540. Our position has not changed.

How much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

CDEL – HOPS Change BudgetRDEL – Resource BudgetFY CDEL RDEL20/21 £1,153,957.7721/22 £1,066,198.0322/23 £495,547.89 £721,655.0023/24 £442,482.0024/25 £1,123,253.8625/26 £318,642.00Sub Total £4,600,081.55 £721,655.00Total £5,321,736.55

What information her Department holds on (a) enforcement and (b) prosecution rates by police force following reports from members of the public of road traffic offences captured on (i) dashcams and (ii) other video evidence.

The Home Office does not hold the requested information.The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on police enforcement of road traffic offences as a part of the annual ‘Police powers and procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release. These statistics include information on the number of offences by outcome, including Fixed Penalty Notice, driver retraining and referral to court action.The latest publication, covering 2023, can be found on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023As part of these statistics, the Home Office publishes breakdowns on the number of camera-detected offences. However, these figures relate to offences captured by official traffic enforcement cameras and do not include footage submitted by members of the public via dashcams or other private video recording devices.Information on the prosecution outcome of offences referred to court action by the police is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

What steps she is taking to help protect (a) police officers, (b) immigration officers and (c) other public sector workers from online harassment by people who film and publish deliberately confrontational encounters with them on social media platforms.

Nobody should face harassment in person, on social media or anywhere online.The Online Safety Act (OSA) introduced a number of communication offences, including the false communications offence and which could include videos uploaded online. This offence captures communications where the individual knows the information to be false but sends it intending to cause harm, or intending for it to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm to a likely audience.The Act requires services, including social media platforms, to implement robust measures to reduce the risks that users post illegal content, and to reduce the risk of users coming across this content. Moreover, platforms should also have their own terms, community guidelines or options for people to submit complaints to them and potentially have content removed, even if it may not be in breach of the Online Safety Act.Anybody who believes online material may be in breach of the Online Safety Act or falls short of the social media provider’s policies should report it to the relevant company. We expect companies to take their legal obligations seriously.It is a criminal offence to engage in behaviour that intentionally causes another person harassment, alarm, or distress, or for a person to pursue a course of conduct which amounts to harassment. In some circumstances, the repeated filming of an individual could be captured under these offences. It is for the police to decide whether a particular offence applies in any given circumstance.

How many officers are currently assigned to the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service; what that Service’s annual budget is for the 2025-26 financial year; and what discussions she has had with that Service on the adequacy of its capacity to tackle organised HGV and freight thefts.

We fully recognise the serious and growing threat that freight crime poses to businesses, drivers, and the wider economy. This Government is determined to crack down on it.The Government does not fund the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS). NaVCIS is funded by industry, including finance and leasing companies, insurers and hauliers, to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement.My officials have regular discussions with key partners, including Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, and NaVCIS about tackling organised freight crime.

What steps the Government is taking to ensure that defibrillators are routinely procured and installed in (a) police cars and (b) other frontline public service vehicles.

Provision of defibrillators in police and fire vehicles is an operational matter for either the individual police force or fire and rescue service to determine at local level.The Home Office has been working to provide more defibrillators to all 43 forces across the country and recently purchased over 500 defibrillators to distribute to police forces free of charge, for them to deploy according to their local knowledge. We continue to work to explore what more could be done to increase availability of defibrillators more generally where this is within the remit of the Home Office, including through our ongoing engagement with the OurJay Foundation.The Department for Health and Social Care has confirmed that all ambulances carry defibrillators.