'Poor pay' blamed for decline in police officers

Yahoo

2 days ago

Poor pay has been blamed for a decline in police officer numbers - with Wiltshire being one of the worst hit areas in England.
Between March 2024 and March of this year, the total amount of officers in Wiltshire Police's force declined from 1,240 to 1,213, a decline of 27, according to the data.
In terms of percentage, the county's 2.2 per cent decline makes for the fourth-highest across England and Wales.
Neighbouring Avon and Somerset Constabulary, meanwhile, saw the number of officers in its force increase by 33, a one per cent increase.
Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and Thames Valley, meanwhile, also saw their police forces experience declines in officer numbers
Acting national chairwoman of the Police Federation, Tiff Lynch, had said: 'We will lose 10,000 experienced officers a year to resignation by the end of this spending review period, driven out by poor pay and unacceptable working conditions.'
Of the 43 forces across England and Wales, more than half (27) have seen a year-on-year fall in officers, with the Metropolitan Police recording the largest percentage drop (down 3.0 per cent), followed by Humberside (down 2.5 per cent), Hertfordshire (down 2.3 per cent), with Wiltshire in fourth.
A total of 15 forces forces saw an increase in police officers, with Gloucestershire recording the largest percentage rise (up 2.9 per cent), followed by Bedfordshire (up 1.6 per cent), Gwent (up 1.3 per cent) and Cheshire (up 1.1 per cent).
The total number of full time equivalent (FTE) officers across the 43 police forces stood at 146,442 at the end of March 2025, down 1,303 or 0.9 per cent from 147,745 a year earlier.
Last month, plans for an average 2.3 per cent rise in police spending per year faced backlash from police leaders, who warned a projected £1.2 billion shortfall will continue to grow and leave forces facing further cuts.
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Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Gavin Stephens added that the amount 'falls far short' of what is needed to fund Government plans and to maintain the existing workforce.
Ministers have committed to recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood policing officers by 2029, with 3,000 extra recruits to be in post by spring next year.
Meanwhile, the figures show there was a 17% decrease in the number of new recruits joining police forces, 7,874 excluding transfers, compared to 9,492 the year before.
This follows a 42 per cent decrease in the year 2022/23, when 16,355 joined policing.
Reacting to the figures, the Conservatives said the falling police numbers were a 'devastating blow' to neighbourhoods dealing with rising crime and anti-social behaviour.
The figures cover the last three months of the former Conservative government, and the first nine months of Labour in power.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour has let down policing and has let down the public.
'We need police to catch criminals, respond to 999 calls, investigate crime and patrol our streets.
'Labour has massively increased our taxes, squandered the money, and now they're reducing police numbers. The public are less safe as a result of Labour's incompetence.'
A Home Office spokesperson said the Government is determined to re-build neighbourhood policing, and there will be an extra 3,000 officers and PCSOs in communities by March 2026 following a £200 million investment.
The spokesperson added: 'Officer numbers have been stable since last July despite falling between March and June 2024, however, the promising increase in neighbourhood policing shows that we are finally seeing more officers on our streets'.
Wiltshire Police were contacted for comment.