More than 850 extra officers through uplift programme

29 October 2021

West Midlands Police has taken on 867 new recruits under Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Police Uplift Programme, according to the latest figures.

Statistics from the Home Office showed the Force had 7,558 frontline officers at the end of last month with new recruits joining up as part of the Government scheme to boost numbers by 20,000 nationwide by 2023.

West Midlands Police Federation chair Jon Nott welcomed the rise in officer numbers but said the headcount was still well short of pre-austerity levels.

He said: “Officer numbers have fallen dramatically over the last decade. At the end of March 2010, we had more than 8,600 officers. So, while it is good to see the trend being reversed and we welcome the uplift, the reality is we are only replacing officers we have already lost and even with the uplift, the levels will not return to those we had before the funding cuts were introduced under austerity.

“And during that time there has been a growth in new and emerging offences such as cyber-crime and online fraud and so much more is expected of the police service generally.

“Policing was stretched to the limit during the coronavirus pandemic and low officer numbers, combined with negative media coverage and then the zero per cent pay offer, has had a massive negative impact on morale.

“We all want a positive, proactive and effective police service and while we generally welcome the uplift, we need to recognise there is much more to be done.”

The new Home Office figures showed a provisional headcount of 139,908 officers in England and Wales at the end of September with 11,053 recruited from funding for the uplift programme.

A further 421 additional officers have been recruited through other funding streams such as local council tax precepts during the same period.