Drop in officer numbers 'disappointed but not surprised'

23 August 2024

Dyfed Powys Police Federation deputy secretary Ceris Davies says she’s ‘disappointed but not surprised’ by new figures that reveal a drop in the number of officers in the Force.

Ceris described retention as a key challenge for policing with pay, morale, and the impact of the job on officers’ physical and mental health as key factors.

And he called on the new government and police leaders to do all they can to fix the retention crisis.

Her comments follow the publication of new Home Office figures that show that in the six months to 31 March 2024, the number of officers in the Force fell by eight (0.6 per cent) to 1,294 officers.

Ceris said: “It’s disappointing but not surprising to see the number of officers in Dyfed Powys Police fell in the past six months.

“This year’s pay and morale survey of our members showed that 15 per cent of respondents intended to quit policing, with morale (96 per cent), and the impact of the job on their mental and physical health, the impact on their personal lives, and how police were treated by the previous government (all 77 per cent) the main reasons.

“Pay is another huge issue, with almost three-quarters of respondents to the survey dissatisfied with their remuneration.

Conduct process

“Add to that negative media reports, fears about an increasingly arbitrary conduct process, and a heavy workload then it’s clear to see why policing is experiencing a retention crisis.

“We need quick and decisive action to address the issues and ensure officers feel fairly treated and fairly rewarded.”

The Home Office figures that show 9,080 officers left policing in England and Wales in the year ending 31 March, the second highest in a financial year. Of those, 43 per cent (3,964) had less than five years’ service.

The most common reason for leaving policing was voluntary resignation (56 per cent of leavers).

The leaver rate for police officer voluntary resignations was the highest on record at 3.4 per cent, and similar to the previous year (3.3 per cent). Voluntary resignations have been on a general upward trend since the year ending March 2012 when it was as low as 0.8 per cent.

Resignation

Of police officers leaving via voluntary resignation in the year ending 31 March 2024, 72 per cent had less than five years’ service and a further 10 per cent had between five and 10 years’ service, the Home Office said.

In the past year, 9,479 officers joined the service, a decrease of 6,848 on the previous year when 16,328 officers joined. At 31 March 2024, there were 147,746 officers, a 0.2 per cent increase from 147,434 on the previous year.

Ceris ended: “There’s a danger the Uplift programme and all the work that went into it will be undone.

“There’s a significant cost to the taxpayer of recruiting an officer, so it’s in everyone’s interest to invest in them, their training and equipment, and the infrastructure around them, which will improve retention and help to recruit the best candidates for the job."

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