The number of police officers in England and Wales has slipped to its lowest level in two years, figures show.
The headcount of officers employed by 43 forces stood at 148,886 at the end of September 2024.
This is down 883 from a peak of 149,769 at the end of March and the lowest total since the end of September 2022 (144,346), according to Home Office data published on Wednesday.
There has been a similar drop in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) officers, which stood at 146,868 at the end of September. This is down 878 from a record 147,746 six months earlier and the lowest since September 2022 (142,146).
The figures indicate the challenge the Government faces in its vow to boost police numbers, with both measures previously on a rising trend since 2019.
Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised a named, contactable police officer for every neighbourhood in England and Wales as he laid out his “plan for change”.
It came after Labour pledged to recruit 13,000 new police officers, PCSOs and special constables to bring the total police workforce to a level above its peak 15 years ago.
The figures show there was a slight increase in the total paid police workforce, which includes officers, staff and police community support officers (PCSOs), to 236,655 FTE in the latest period, up 425 compared to six months earlier (236,230).
FTE is the standard measure for comparing workforce figures, but the Home Office also records headcount numbers and used this as its preferred method for reporting progress on the previous Conservative government’s campaign to hire thousands more recruits in England and Wales – a target that was met in March 2023.
This came after former prime minister Boris Johnson committed in September 2019 to recruiting 20,000 police officers in England and Wales, based on headcount.
The number of full-time equivalent police officers in England and Wales rose during the first decade of the century, peaking at 144,353 at the end of September 2009.
The total then began to fall, dropping steadily during the 2010s until it hit a low of 121,929 at the end of September 2017.
The Metropolitan Police has seen the largest year-on-year percentage drop in officers by headcount, down 2.0% from 35,006 in September 2023 to 34,296 in September 2024: a fall of 710.
Derbyshire saw the next largest percentage fall, down 1.5%, though this represents a decrease of just 32 officers from 2,168 to 2,136.
Avon & Somerset saw a drop of 1.0%, down 33 from 3,371 to 3,338.
By contrast, Wiltshire recorded the largest year-on-year percentage increase, up 3.1% from 1,220 to 1,258 officers, a rise of 38.
Warwickshire saw an increase of 2.8%, up by 31 from 1,127 to 1,158, while Thames Valley saw a jump of 1.8%, up 92 from 4,996 to 5,088.
Of the 43 territorial forces in England and Wales, 16 recorded a drop in police officer headcount, 26 saw an increase, while one was unchanged.
