- New statistics show that nearly 6,000 extra officers have been recruited in the first year of the Government’s major police recruitment drive, with 1,369 more in London alone.
- This confirms that the Government is on track to deliver 20,000 extra officers by 2023, and is ahead of schedule to have the first 6,000 in place by March 2021.
- These new officers will be crucial in the fight against coronavirus, as well as helping to drive down crime and to make our streets safer.
Mario Creatura has welcomed the announcement that London's Metropolitan Police has been bolstered by an additional 1,369 officers since the Government launched its major police recruitment drive one year ago.
The addition of these new officers brings the total number of police across London up to 33,782, meaning there are now more frontline officers on our streets to keep the public safe.
Since the launch of the Government’s recruitment campaign one year ago, a total of 5,824 extra officers have joined police forces across England and Wales.
These statistics confirm that the Government remains fully on track to meet its manifesto commitment of recruiting 20,000 extra officers by 2023, and is ahead of schedule to have the first 6,000 in place by March 2021.
The new statistics also show that the police workforce is now more diverse than ever before, with 10.7 per cent of new recruits identifying as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and with 9,842 of all officers now being from these groups.
This recruitment drive is at the centre of the Government’s commitment to back the police with more resources, powers and support to keep the public and their communities safe.
Alongside the recruitment campaign, the Government is also boosting police pay by 2.5 per cent this year, equivalent to a constable receiving an extra £1,100, providing officers with an increase above inflation for the second year running, the largest pay rise in a decade.
The Government is also enshrining a new police covenant into law, which will offer enhanced support and protection for frontline officers, and is bringing forward legislation to double the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaults on frontline staff including police officers, firefighters and paramedics.
Other steps to support our frontline officers include a £1.1 billion funding boost for police forces this year – the biggest increase in a decade, funding to provide over 8,000 more officers with Taser devices, and personalised new stop and search powers so that officers can effectively target repeat offenders.
Commenting, Mario said:
Getting more police officers onto our streets is one of the people’s priorities, and so I am delighted that in just over one year, this Conservative Government has already delivered an extra 1,369 officers across London.
Every one of these officers will make an enormous difference in helping to cut crime and keep people safe – and I know that many more will follow as this Government continues to deliver on its promise to recruit 20,000 more over the next three years.
By backing our police with the funding, powers and resources they need, we are keeping the public and our communities safe, so that people everywhere can live their lives free from the fear of crime.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
Getting more police officers on our streets is a priority for the British people – therefore a priority for me.
Just one year since we began recruiting, I am delighted that there are nearly 6,000 of the 20,000 additional officers on our streets cutting crime and making your communities safer.
As we’ve seen from the frontline response to coronavirus, the work of each and every police officer helps to save lives and I would like to extend my gratitude to them, and to the new recruits, for joining the police and being a part of this heroic national effort.
We are giving our police the powers and resources they need to keep us safe by:
- Recruiting 20,000 new police officers, keeping our streets safe. Recruitment is well underway to recruit 20,000 extra officers by 2023, with a new national campaign underway backed by £750 million to hire an initial 6,000 officers by March 2021. 5,824 officers are already in place, and over 100,000 people have applied to join the police so far (Home Office, Police Officer Uplift Statistics, 29 October 2020, link).
- Boosting police funding by £1.1 billion this year, ensuring our officers have everything need to keep us safe. This is the biggest funding increase for the police in a decade, and includes £150 million to fight organised crime and online child abuse, £39 million to tackle serious violence including county lines drug dealing, and £90 million for counter-terrorism policing (Home Office, News Story, 22 January 2020, link).
- Increasing police pay by 2.5 per cent this year, ensuring policing remains an attractive career for everyone. This is the second consecutive year that police pay has risen by 2.5 per cent, which is equivalent to a constable receiving an extra £1,100. This is the largest pay increase for forces since 2010 (Home Office, News Story, 21 July 2020, link).
We are giving our frontline officers the support they need to protect themselves by:
- Enshrining a new police covenant into law, enhancing support and protection for our frontline police officers. The initial focus of the covenant will be on physical protection, health and wellbeing, as well as support for families. It will also create a statutory duty for the Government to do more to support the police, both those currently serving and retired (Home Office, News Story, 8 September 2020, link).
- Toughening up sentences for assaulting emergency workers, recognising the debt of gratitude the public feels towards them. In line with our manifesto commitment, we are bringing forward legislation to double the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaults on frontline staff including police officers, firefighters and paramedics (MoJ, Press Release, 13 July 2020, link).
- Equipping over 8,000 more officers with Taser devices, ensuring they have the resources they need to keep themselves safe. We have delivered £6.7 million for 41 forces to purchase 8,155 Taser devices, and allocated £150,000 to train up Taser instructors. We have also approved a new Taser 7 model for use, which is more accurate, faster and compact (Home Office, News Story, 24 August 2020, link).
- Introducing personalised stop and search powers, helping officers to target persistent offenders. SVRO’s are court-imposed orders which will apply to individuals previously convicted of carrying a knife or an offensive weapon. Police will be able to stop and search those who are subject to an SVRO to check if they are carrying a knife or offensive weapon again (Home Office, News Story, 14 September 2020, link).
We are taking action to keep our communities and streets safe by:
- Cutting crime by 9 per cent over the last year, delivering on our promise to the British people to keep them safe. Between March 2019 and March 2020 – before the coronavirus period – crime fell by 9 per cent. This includes a significant 12 per cent fall in theft, and a 13 per cent fall in criminal damage (ONS, Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2020, 17 July 2020, link).
- Successfully dismantling serious crime groups through the UK’s biggest ever law enforcement action, Operation Venetic. In July, the National Crime Agency carried out Operation Venetic, which led to 746 arrests, as well as the seizure of £54 million of criminal cash, 77 firearms and over two tonnes of drugs. This operation shows our commitment to working closely with the NCA, and giving them the resources, powers and tools they need to keep our country safe (NCA, News Story, 2 July 2020, link).
