Force has almost 100 more officers

28 October 2022

Derbyshire Police now has almost 100 more officers now than it did a year ago.

Statistics from the Home Office showed the Force had 2,038 serving officers at the end of September compared with 1,942 at the end of October 2021.

From November 2019 to September 2022, the Force has recruited a total of 483 officers.

The Home Office said a total of 15,343 officers had now been recruited across England and Wales from funding for the Police Uplift Programme which aims to take on 20,000 new officers by March 2023.

Derbyshire Police Federation chair Tony Wetton welcomed the increase in officer numbers but warned the Police Uplift Programme on its own would never be enough to help officers support and protect the communities they serve.

And he said recruitment figures always had to be balanced against the number of officers leaving the Force and the attrition rate of newcomers.

He said: “We have always supported the Uplift Programme but at the same time made it clear it was only replacing the officers we have lost over 12 years of cutbacks and under-investment.  This long overdue restoration of officer numbers to pre-austerity levels is a start.  But the Government must now ensure that its target is reached by March 2023 and then maintain those numbers as we go through the  difficult times we face over the next few years.  We cannot, and must not, go back to those days of cuts to policing budgets.  We need these numbers of officers to keep the Public safe.

“Our members should be properly rewarded for the unique job they do and the policing service needs investment in the infrastructure that supports them in doing that job. The Uplift Programme is only part of the story and the new Government must make a commitment to treat police officers fairly and look after them properly.”

Tony said he was always keen to meet new recruits and was humbled by their enthusiasm and commitment to the job.

“We welcome our new colleagues to the Force and we wish them all the best in their policing career,” he said, “Being a police officer is the best job in the world, and I feel lucky to do that as part of Derbyshire Police.

“But we need proper investment in equipment, buildings, vehicles, training, and pay and conditions, so that we’re equipped to face the demands of modern policing and I hope the new Government makes that a priority.

“Policing needs proper long-term funding arrangements in place so that when officer numbers are back to where they were a decade ago, forces can have confidence that they have the finance in place to equip their officers to do their job in the way that they want.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government has pledged to invest more £3.5bn in policing between 2020 and 2023 in order to recruit 20,000 additional officers.

“Additional officers will support forces in tackling crime and making communities safer.

“The Police Uplift Programme is one of a range of initiatives the Government has implemented to support policing.”