Nearly half-way to recruiting 20,000 more officers

New figures show that an extra 9,814 police officers have been recruited as the government launches its Beating Crime Plan.

Recruited across all 43 police forces in England and Wales, the data shows that the the government is nearly half-way to delivering on its pledge to put 20,000 additional officers on the streets by 2023.

The recruitment drive is also helping to make police more representative of the communities they serve. More than 6,000 (6,033) female officers have been recruited since April 2020, making up 42 PER CENT new recruits. There are also more black, Asian and other ethnic minorities employed as officers across forces than at any other time in the country’s history, making up 11.3 per cent (1,557) of the new recruits.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “It is fantastic that we are well on track to meet our target of recruiting 20,000 extra police officers by 2023. These 9,814 officers are already making a difference in neighbourhoods up and down the country, bearing down on criminals and keeping people safe. This increase in police numbers and the Beating Crime Plan we have launched show the government’s determination to back the police, give them the powers they need to take away knives, shut down drug gangs and protect communities and vulnerable people from harm.”

The Beating Crime Plan includes ensuring each neighbourhood has named, contactable police officers, who know their area and are best placed to ensure that persistent crime and anti-social behaviour is tackled - a pledge made more possible by the increase in police numbers.