Policing could become trapped in a 'boom and bust' recruitment cycle

29 August 2023

Nottinghamshire Police Federation has warned policing could become trapped in a cycle of “recruitment boom and bust” unless a deepening morale crisis within the service is addressed.

Record numbers of officers are leaving the service with disillusionment over pay and conditions cited as the main reason for the unprecedented levels of resignations but rock-bottom morale also playing a major part in people’s decisions.

Branch chair Simon Riley said: “If the number of officers leaving the service continues at this rate policing will be in serious trouble in just a few years.

“I think it’s time for a total review of the policies surrounding recruitment and retention because something is clearly going wrong.

“The Government was very keen to herald its Police Uplift Programme as a resounding success but it will be meaningless if the 20,000 new recruits are simply replacing officers that are leaving.

“We are facing a revolving door situation and unless something changes we are going to find ourselves in an unsustainable cycle of recruitment boom and boost and that is no way to run an organisation.”

Home Office figures revealed more than 9,000 officers left the English and Welsh forces between April 2022 and March 2023 with a total of 4,668 officers resigning voluntarily.

This is the highest number since comparable records began 16 years ago and shows a 32 per cent increase on the 3,533 who resigned from the service in 2021/22.

Nottinghamshire Police lost 65 officers through voluntary resignations in the 12 months to last March, according to the figures.

A further eight retired on medical grounds during the same period and 73 took normal retirement - broadly in line with previous years.

Some 20 officers transferred to another force while four officers were dismissed, taking the total number of leavers to 170.

“The Government must take a long, hard look at these figures and come up with a solution to end this trend,” said Simon.

“Too many experienced officers are deciding to look elsewhere and in the end everyone suffers - the police service, our members and the communities they serve.”

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