Police face staffing crisis as officers quit in droves

POLICE forces are facing a staffing crisis, with more than a third missing their recruitment targets, the Daily Express can reveal.

Chiefs are struggling to fill vacancies because of the rate at which experienced officers are quitting the force, it is claimed. And threequarters of forces admit they cannot find enough specialist detectives.

The figures are revealed in official papers which also detail how experienced officers are quitting the service in their droves amid growing demands and violent crime.

More than 2,400 have left their jobs since April 2018, documents from the National Police Chiefs’ Council show.

The papers, submitted to the Police Remuneration Review Body earlier this week, reveal that 16 of England and Wales’ 43 police forces missed recruitment targets by more than 25 per cent.

They include some of the largest forces in the country, including West Yorkshire and Merseyside. Warwickshire missed its target by a staggering 75 per cent, documents show.

The NPCC wrote: “Most have no trouble attracting initial applicants but, in some cases, the conversion rate is low. This suggests the calibre of applicants may not be of the quality required or there are potential issues with the recruitment process that lead to high attrition.

“The main reasons given for recruitment failures were personal reasons, change of mind and finding alternative employment. Discussions with newer recruits in focus groups suggest the length of time for the recruitment process to be completed may have a significant effect.”

Police chiefs also revealed an increasing number of forces are struggling to fill specific roles, with 33 of the 43 admitting that they are not recruiting enough detectives.

The report also states that “2,424 officers voluntarily