We’ve added only 500 police officers in a year
POLICE forces have lost ,000 officers since 009 under the Coalition and Tory governments.
Although the numbers have started to rise again, only around 500 have been added in the past 1 months.
According to the latest Home Office figures there were 1 ,395 full-time police officers in England and Wales in September 018. That is 15 per cent fewer than the peak level of 144,353 in September 009.
Labour also cut policing numbers. The headcount was reduced by 3,000 between 1997 and 000. Numbers steadily increased from 000 in a major expansion of the public sector.
Prospective police officers take two years to train, at which point they become police constables. They then decide whether to specialise in a certain area of policing such as firearms, counter-terrorism or detective work, which requires further training.
Starting salaries for constables are about £ 0,000 a year, rising to £57,000 for chief inspectors. Chief constables can earn more than £ 70,000 a year.
The number of Police Community Support Officers has fallen by 40 per cent in the past eight years. There were 10,068 in September 018 – down from a peak of 16,685 in March 010. In the 1 months from September 017, police forces lost just over 00 PCSOs.
The decline in police numbers has come under the spotlight following a spate of deadly knife crime on top of accusations that officers are failing to solve routine offences.
Even Home Secretary Sajid Javid has hinted at his frustration with Theresa May and Chancellor Philip Hammond for not finding the money to bring in additional officers. He promised to spend £1billion hiring an extra 0,000 officers if he became prime minister.
Mrs May has repeatedly insisted there is no link between violent crime and officer numbers.