London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Apr 24, 2025

How did the government meet its police pledge?

How did the government meet its police pledge?

The government has reached its target to recruit 20,000 more police officers in England and Wales.

It has employed 20,951 more officers since 2019 so the total is now 149,572.

This means the number of officers is about 3,500 higher than it was in 2010, when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats began cutting police numbers.

But there are concerns that the rise hasn't kept pace with the increase in population since 2010 and that many experienced officers have left.

Many of the new officers are replacing the approximately 20,000 who left between 2010 and 2019.


Is this a record number of police officers?


The new headcount of 149,572 officers in England and Wales (including part-time employees) is higher than the previous record of 146,030 in 2010.

The recruitment target, pledged in the Conservatives' 2019 election manifesto, was set for March 2023.

It has been reached after a big rise in the first three months of 2023 - 4,000 extra officers - by far the biggest quarterly jump since the government's police uplift programme started.


Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: "We have delivered on the promise we made to the British people which means more police on the beat preventing violence, solving burglaries and cracking down on antisocial behaviour."

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: "the Tories are trying to take country for fools on policing... they CUT 20,000 police officers".

That's a reference to the reduction in police numbers of about 20,000 between 2010 and 2019, after government funding was cut by 20%.

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: "Suella Braverman's boasts will ring hollow for communities that have seen community policing decimated under this government."


Have police numbers kept up with a growing population?


While the number of police officers is a few thousand higher than 2010 levels, the population has grown - by about 7% - since then.

If the number of officers in England and Wales had risen in line with the population since 2010, there would need to be thousands more officers.

Ms Braverman told BBC News that in 2019 "we set that [20,000] target accounting for increases in population". We have asked the Home Office how they did this.


How many police officers are leaving?


In the year to March 2022, the number of full-time police officers leaving the force reached a 20-year high of 8,117.

Half of those leaving retired - police officers can claim their pensions in their 50s.

However, an increasing proportion resigned - about 40% in 2021-22, compared with a third the year before.


About 9% of newly recruited officers leave during their two-year probation periods, a report by the Public Accounts Committee, which examines government projects, found last year.

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington, of Essex Police, said his force had received more than 900 new officers as part of the police uplift programme. However, he is concerned some will leave because of low salaries and the rising cost of living.

"You can't arrest your gas bill," he said. To keep new officers, he said he would "speak up for them, and make sure they are trained and supported".


Are police officers less experienced?


There are now fewer senior full-time police officers than in 2010.

The number of inspectors is down 14% to 6,245. The number of superintendents and sergeants has also fallen.

Currently, a third of all police officers in England and Wales have fewer than five years' experience where the length of service is known. This is more than double the number six years ago.

The Public Accounts Committee has linked falling levels of experience with the government's drive to recruit new officers.

Dame Meg Hillier, who heads the committee, said: "The danger is if you go up and down with police numbers and then recruit very quickly, you end up with a larger number of more junior officers, without the experienced people above them."


This could affect police force performance.

In June 2022, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the police watchdog, placed the Metropolitan Police in special measures.

In a letter to the force, HM Inspector Matt Parr said systemic failures had been "amplified by the presence of a relatively young, inexperienced workforce - a consequence of the [Met's] increased recruitment enabled by the police uplift programme".

The BBC has spoken to officers who joined a Met Police scheme to recruit graduates to be detectives without first serving in uniform.

They describe being left to cope on their own with growing caseloads.

One of them - who didn't want to be named - said he was given 12 cases on his first day in CID (Criminal Investigation Department). "From that point," he said, "I was swimming upstream."

Another described his time as a detective as "the worst year of my life".

He said his CID unit was staffed almost entirely by trainees and he was worried he might make a mistake that affected a case or a victim of crime.

Both trainee detectives have now left the Met, and say about 10 of their 30 fellow recruits have done the same.

The Met was the only police force that did not meet its recruitment target. It fell short of its 4,557 target by 1,089 officers.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump administration moves to BAN essentially ALL artificial food dyes in the USA food supply at RFK Jr.'s direction
Woman slaps man at sports game and gets herself and husband beat up
Pope Francis: head of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice
China do not pay these tariffs - you pay it. This is new 145% tax you pay to the US government.
Nightlife in the streets of Manchester
In God We Profit
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
UK Prison Officers Demand Electric Stun Guns Amid Safety Concerns
China, China, China!
Australian National Charged as Mercenary for Fighting in Ukraine
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Prince Andrew Joins Royal Family Attends Easter Sunday Service at Windsor Castle
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Here’s a police officer with a brilliant gift for swift education
"Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
Resentencing Hearing for Menendez Brothers Who Killed Their Parents Delayed Amid Legal Disputes
Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mix-up
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
"Groundless": China Dismisses Zelensky's Claims It's Supplying Arms To Russia
UK Psytrance Festival Cancelled Amid Local Protests Over Noise Concerns
French Far-Right Writer Renaud Camus Denied Entry to UK
UK Police Force Updates Search Policy for Trans Individuals in Custody
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
Canada's Federal Party Leaders Engage in Final Debate Ahead of General Election
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
Fast Food Chain Refuses to Apologize for Online Comment About Katy Perry's Space Voyage
New York Attorney General Letitia James Faces Criminal Referral for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
Mark Cuban admits support for Trump executive order: ‘Gotta be honest’
US Senator Meets with Deported Immigrant in El Salvador Amid Custody Dispute
U.S. State Department Raises El Salvador’s Safety Ranking, Making It Safer Than France and Other European Nations
UK Government Assumes Control of British Steel's Scunthorpe Plant Amid Shutdown Threat
UK MP Wera Hobhouse Denied Entry to Hong Kong During Family Visit
Bangladesh Issues Arrest Warrant for UK MP Tulip Siddiq
China Urges United States to Cancel Tariffs Amid Escalating Trade Tensions
The Empire’s USD Pyramid Scheme Is Working Brilliantly—So Why ‘Fix’ It?
China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Goods to 125% Amid Escalating Trade Dispute
Elon Musk Reports $150 Billion in Projected Government Savings Amid Fraud Investigations
U.S. and Panama Finalize Defense Agreements Amid Canal Access and Chinese Influence Concerns
China Stands Firm Amidst Trade Disputes with the US: A Factual Analysis
×