Thursday 20 March 2008

I say tomato, you say tomahto!


According to the Home Office website the area’s population covered by the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary is approximately 1.6 million.

However, the population of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, according to the 2001 census, is 501267 and the population of Devon is 704493. By my calculation this is 1 205 760. Now I know that the populations in Cornwall and Devon are increasing rapidly and that the Census results are now some years old, but a discrepancy of over 300 000 people seems a little odd.

This raises several pertinent questions:

• Who is right, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) or the Home Office?
• Wouldn’t the HO have obtained their statistics from the ONS?
• Is Devon and Cornwall Constabulary increasing their population area artificially so that they can receive increased funding?
• Is the Home Office contracting Devon and Cornwall police officers out to other forces?

Perhaps the answer lies in demographics, but the Cornish people are entitled to some clear answers!

1 comment:

Chiefredram said...

You have missed out Plymough and Torbay unitary authorities from your count. The D and C police area = 1.58m in 2001 and 1.65m in 2006.