Number of police officers hits record high
There are more police officers in England and Wales than ever before, new figures published by the government have confirmed
In 2019 the government made a manifesto commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023, a number they say they have delivered on. This brings the total number to nearly 150,000 officers, more than 3,500 higher than the previous peak in 2010.
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It's not only the number of police that has increased but how representative they are of the communities they serve. There are now more than 53,000 female officers and over 12,000 from ethnic minority backgrounds - both are record highs. While there is more progress to be made, thanks to the Police Uplift Programme there has been a 43% increase in the number of ethnic minority officers in England and Wales since the start of the recruitment drive.
'Those that joined at the start of the programme are now completing training and making a difference every day in forces across England and Wales,' said Gavin Stephens, chair of National Police Chiefs' Council.
'It fills me with optimism that so many talented colleagues have joined with a real desire to keep their communities safe and feeling safe,' he added.
While any increase in the number of police officers is a good thing the government have faced some criticism for missing the original March deadline and for previous cuts they made to the number of officers on the street.
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