London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 04, 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
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
×