A damning new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) confirms what the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has been warning for years: chronic underfunding, excessive workloads and a retention crisis are crippling frontline policing and undermining public safety.
The Inspection into How Effectively the Police Investigate Crime report reveals that officer workloads have skyrocketed, increasing by more than 32% per constable since 2015, with some officers carrying unmanageable caseloads. The inspection also finds that over the past decade, police-recorded crime rates per 1,000 population have increased by 44%, whereas since 2010, after accounting for changes in the population, the number of police officers in England and Wales has decreased by 6%.
Under these conditions, investigations are being delayed, evidence is being missed, and victims are being let down. Positive outcomes from police investigations have plummeted from 25% a decade ago to just 11% in 2024. More than 9,000 officers quit in the year ending March 2023—the highest number on record.
The PFEW warns that without urgent action to address pay and working conditions, the crisis in policing will only deepen. With fewer experienced officers on the frontline and new recruits struggling to cope due to inadequate training and support, the consequences are clear: delayed investigations, disillusioned victims, and a growing number of criminals escaping justice.
“Let’s be honest about what this report describes in brutal detail,” said PFEW Acting National Chair Tiff Lynch. “A broken system that leaves the public less safe and a police service overworked, underpaid and under threat.
“Officers are leaving the job in record numbers because they simply cannot afford to stay and the price of doing the job is too high for their health. We are losing experience at an alarming rate, and that directly impacts how crimes are investigated and solved and victims supported. The word “inexperienced” is used a staggering 34 times in this report.
“If government have been honest about describing the NHS as a broken system full of heroes, they must do the same for policing. This report shows a service and a workforce stretched beyond its limits. The government cannot expect high-quality policing and safer streets when it refuses to fairly pay those whose blood, sweat and tears delivers it day in and day out.”
PFEW Announces National Campaign for Fair Pay, Conditions, and Sustainable Policing
In response to this growing crisis, PFEW will be launching a new national campaign to demand fair pay, improved working conditions, and urgent action to reduce the exodus of experienced officers. The campaign: ‘Copped Enough: What The Police Take Home Is Criminal’ will launch in April.
