Soaring Departures: An Unsettling Trend
Newly released figures from the Home Office reveal an unprecedented trend within England and Wales’ police force.
In the financial year ending March 2023, a staggering 9,192 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) police officers parted ways with their duties, marking the highest annual departures since records began in 2003.
This rise of 1,075 FTE surpasses the previous peak seen just a year prior in 2022 when 8,117 FTE officers resigned from their posts.
An All-Time High of New Faces
Meanwhile, 16,328 FTE police officers joined the force in the same period, a 27.7% increase from the previous year.
This influx of new recruits sets a new record, surpassing the prior peak in 2020 when 12,883 FTE officers were enlisted.
Despite the impressive inflow of new personnel, the exit rate of officers remains a growing concern.
It also means that most 999 response teams in England and Wales have a very high proportion of officers with less than two years of service.
Frontline Officers: A Steady Proportion
As of March 31, 2023, 91.1% of officers served in frontline roles, mirroring the previous year’s proportion.
However, this percentage has slightly dropped from the record high of 93.4% in March 2016.
Morale Hits Rock Bottom
Additional data from the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) offers some insight into the exodus.
A shocking 95% of officers surveyed stated that their morale was negatively affected by their treatment by the government.
Regarding their compensation, 87% expressed dissatisfaction, while 94% felt disrespected by the government.
Alarmingly, seven out of ten officers wouldn’t recommend joining the force to others, signalling a significant blow to future recruitment efforts.
Furthermore, an all-time high number of officers feel they need to be more adequately compensated for the risks and challenges of their jobs.
The Uplift Programme: A Letdown
More worryingly, at least 1,800 officers enlisted under the Government Uplift Programme have voluntarily resigned, further attesting to the declining morale.
These factors contribute to a daunting reality: the police force is facing a crisis of morale and experience potentially endangering public safety.
A Call to Action
This disturbing trend underscores an urgent need for government intervention to improve working conditions, morale and address compensation concerns.
Should this trend persist, consequences for public safety could be severe, with experienced officers potentially less likely to respond to calls for help and officers with only months of service more prone to errors.
This could subsequently increase crime rates and dwindling public confidence in law enforcement.
The data serves as a crucial wake-up call to tackle this imminent crisis.
Without action, the implications could be far-reaching, fundamentally impacting the backbone of law enforcement in England and Wales.
Most social media algorithms are not ‘pro’ emergency services, so the ONLY way to ensure you never miss our stories or videos is by signing up for our FREE newsletter! All we need is an email address, it takes less than 30 seconds, and anyone can subscribe!
Before you go...
In a world where mainstream media narratives often eclipse the harsh realities faced by our valiant men and women in the emergency services, we at Emergency Services News have made it our mission to bring these overlooked stories into the spotlight.
Our team is exclusively composed of dedicated volunteers, all veterans of the emergency services. They commit their time and expertise to this cause, not for financial gain, but out of a shared passion to honour their colleagues and dispel the misconceptions that mainstream media perpetuates.
Despite running at a loss, we persist. We believe in the importance of our mission - to elevate the dignity and courage of those who risk their lives for us every single day. But we need your help.
Your donation directly sustains ESN, enabling the continuous delivery of authentic, critical stories often overlooked by mainstream media. We deeply appreciate your support, which enables us to further our mission of delivering important, underreported stories. Thank you for standing with us and thank you for supporting our team of former emergency services & HM Forces personnel.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
It all started with Teresa May followed by woke plc and Government complete ignorance.
The police are obviously depressed after doing their best to catch career criminals then seeing them get a slap on the wrist due to not enough prison spaces to lock them up for what they deserve.
Undoubtedly in recent times there have been a number of incidents of criminal and unacceptable behaviour to the vast majority of their colleagues and the press and certain vocal elements try to portray this as ‘the norm’ and thus suggest that the whole force is corrupt and advance their political agenda. And who stands up and speaks on behalf of the maligned majority?. I have not been aware that many Chief Officers have been vocal and supporting their Organisation against unwarranted criticism. The result is the exodus of Officers to other careers, leaving the truly dedicated and thick skinned to be the target of the ire of the politically motivated. I retired on pension in 1996, were I serving today I would certainly consider other options of employment.