25th^t February 2010

Dear Mr Walgrove

FOI Reference No: 20094/12251

Thank you for your request for information received by West Yorkshire Police on 21^st December 2010.

You requested the following information:

How many times has the West Yorkshire Police Force Armed Response Unit been called out in the Bradford area each year, over the past five years (2004-2009).

Please see the table below which shows the number of times West Yorkshire Police Armed Response Unit has been called out in the Bradford area over the past five years:

On how many of these occasions has a member of the Armed Response Unit actually fired their weapons, if at all?

Please see the table below which shows the number of incidents where shots were fired by the West Yorkshire Police Armed Response Unit:

How many Armed Response Officers does the West Yorkshire Police Force employ?

West Yorkshire Police employs 93 Armed Response Officer's who are deployed across 5 shifts to provide 24 hour cover in order to protect the public from people who possess firearms or pose a high threat of violence. The officers are able to respond to a variety of situations and can use tactics which include the use of firearms but also less than lethal options such as Taser.

How much does it cost to send out an Armed Response Unit? (If possible, could I have a breakdown of the cost?)

The cost of deploying an Armed Response Unit for a 24 hour period is £1450. This is based on a

crew of 2 officers and includes salary, pension contribution, National Insurance, uniform and other pay related allowances. It also includes vehicle costs, but does not include weapons, or other equipment. This is because the lifetime of such equipment is variable and depends upon usage, so to establish an hourly cost is not feasible and therefore we would not hold this information.

The number of armed deployments by police officers has increased significantly over the last 5 years. This coincides with the introduction of Taser in West Yorkshire in 2004, prior to which an unarmed officer may have been sent to a report of a man with a knife. Armed officers could now be deployed since they have the ability to deal with the offender without having to resort to lethal force. Thus the safety of officers is maximised whilst the potential for injury to the offender is minimised. The data around discharges of firearms by police officers has correspondingly decreased over time showing the success of the introduction of Taser as an additional tactical option for armed officers.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

If you are not satisfied with how this request has been handled or with the information provided, please read the advice notice attached to this letter. If you do wish to take up your right of complaint, please remember to quote the reference number above in any future correspondence.

Yours sincerely

Bronwen Salmon

Freedom of Information Support Officer

Pp

Steven Harding

Head of Information Management

The West Yorkshire Police in complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed information will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the enclosed information will continue to be protected by law. Applications for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of the attached information should be addressed to The Force Solicitor, West Yorkshire Police Headquarters, PO Box 9, Laburnum Road, Wakefield WF1 3QP.