Charged particle multiplicity in <tex>e^{+}e_{-}$</tex> → q[L:q] events at 161 and 172 GeV and from the decay of the W boson

The data collected by DELPHI in 1996 have been used to measure the average charged particle multiplicities and dispersions in $q\bar{q}$ events at centre-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s}=161$~GeV and $\sqrt{s}=172$~GeV, and the average charge multiplicity in WW events at $\sqrt{s}=172$~GeV. The multiplicities in $q\bar{q}$ events are consistent with the evolution predicted by QCD. The dispersions in the multiplicity distributions are consistent with Koba-Nielsen-Olesen (KNO) scaling. The average multiplicity of charged particles in hadronic W decays has been measured for the first time; its value, $19.23 \pm 0.74 (stat+syst)$, is consistent with that expected for an $e^+e^-$ interaction at a centre-of-mass energy equal to the W mass. The charged particle multiplicity in W decays shows no evidence of effects of colour reconnection between partons from different W&#39;s at the present level of statistics.