Police officer numbers at ten-year high

An extra 13,790 officers have now been recruited under the Government’s Police Uplift Programme, bringing the total number in post to more than 142,000.

More than 42 per cent of new recruits have been women and they now make up a third of all officers in service. The number of officers from an ethnic minority background is also at the highest level ever.

The Government’s recruitment drive is part of its commitment to put 20,000 additional officers on the streets by March 2023.

As at March 31, the Home Office police workforce statistics show there were 142,759 full-time equivalent officers across the 43 police forces in England and Wales – more than at any point in the past decade.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “We promised the British public 20,000 more police before March 2023 and that is what we are delivering. The total number of officers is now already at a ten-year high, with thousands more still on the way to protect the public from harm.

“That means more officers out patrolling our streets, bearing down on anti-social behaviour and violent crime, and helping to level up communities across the country.”

Since April 2020, 42.3 per cent of new recruits have been women, and there are now more female officers than ever before at 49,375, or 34.6 per cent of all officers.

The latest statistics also show that ethnic minorities now make up 8.1 per cent of the workforce (11,299 officers) – the highest number and proportion on record – with 11.7 per cent of new recruits identifying as belonging to an ethnic minority group (excluding white minorities).

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Government remains committed to driving down crime, protecting the public and increasing public confidence in the criminal justice system, as reflected in the Beating Crime Plan.

“This means more officers on the streets bringing down drugs gangs, protecting vulnerable people and tackling neighbourhood crime.”

A recent report by the Public Accounts Committee welcomed the Home Office programme “which looks to be on track” to deliver a promised 20,000 uplift in police officer numbers, but warned that reaching the final year’s target will be “challenging” – and realising the benefits of more police may be much more so.

Responding to the latest Police Uplift Programme statistics Jon Parry, head of research at Skills for Justice, commented: “Police officer numbers across England and Wales would appear to be on a positive trajectory, with the Government’s target of 148,453 total officers within touching distance at 142,759.

“Nevertheless, the pace of recruitment appears to be slowing. The three months to June 2022 saw a net increase of 254 police officers across England and Wales, in comparison to the 2,567 increase recorded in the previous quarter.

“An extra 5,694 police officers are now required to meet the Government’s promise of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. This equates to a 1,898 average uplift per quarter.

“Given that the current quarterly average increase since the Uplift Programme began sits at 1,300, the 43 forces across England and Wales have their work cut out if they are to meet government’s ambitious targets.

“An important caveat to note regarding the overall numbers reported by the Home Office yesterday is the inclusion of new recruits who have joined the force due to council tax precept increases. To date, 516 officers have been recruited through local funds, meaning that, when taken in isolation, an additional 6,210 police officers over and above the precept number are required if the Uplift Programme is to meet its target.

“Roughly two years on from the start of the Uplift Programme, it is disappointing to see that its impact on officer diversity remains negligible, with only a 0.7 percentage point uptick in the number of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background officers across England and Wales during that time. Today, 8.1 per cent of the total workforce comes from a BAME background, compared with 7.4 per cent in June 2020.

“It is clear that against the background of a shifting labour market and the cost of living crisis, the Government needs to pull out all the stops ahead of next March if they are to attract and retain talent and widen participation in the force in line with its own ambitious targets.”

See also https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/police-uplift-faces-significant-challenges/