Officer numbers up in the last year

27 July 2022

Hertfordshire Police recruited 40 new officers in the 12 months to March 2022, according to new figures from the Home Office.

The newly-released data shows the Force had 2,239 officers on 31 March this year compared with 2,199 on the same date the year before.

The 1.8 per cent increase is lower than the national figure of 4 per cent which equates to 4,927 extra officers and brings the total number of serving officers across England and Wales to 140,228.

Home Office officials said the latest figures revealed the second highest number of recruits in a year since records began, just behind the year ending March 2020 when there were 12,883 new officers.

The recruitment drive is part of the Government’s Police Uplift Programme which aims to bring in 20,000 new officers by next March.

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Luke Mitchell has previously warned of a recruitment crisis at the Force.

He said: “Obviously, any increase in officer numbers is welcome but we are in a very precarious position in terms of recruitment and retention.

“There are a number of areas within the Force that are quite obviously struggling to cope with the demands being placed on them and this is putting extra pressure on our members who are having to be moved left, right and centre around the organisation.

“Because of the ongoing issues surrounding recruitment, retention and workforce, it feels like we are rushing around from area to area just putting out fires and that is of great concern for me.”

Luke said the retention of new officers was as important as their recruitment and has urged the Force to introduce measures to ensure they stick with the job.

He acknowledged the Chief Constable’s decision to increase the South East Allowance (SEA) payment to its £3,000 maximum for Hertfordshire officers was a step in the right direction but said a greater commitment to policing from the Government was essential.

“The bottom line is we can’t recruit quickly enough and we can’t retain staff,” he said.

“People are coming into policing and realising how much demand, expectation and responsibility is being placed upon them and they are walking out the door.

“We cannot provide the service the public of Hertfordshire needs and deserves unless policing is properly resourced and the bigger picture has to involve the Government.

“We need to ensure we’re doing all we can to retain our new recruits, and our more experienced officers as well.”