- Newly released figures show that 2,599 police officers have been recruited to the Met as part of the Conservative Government’s pledge to put 20,000 more officers on the streets by March 2023.
- Since the recruitment drive was launched in 2019, the 43 police forces across England and Wales have seen an additional 13,576 police officers recruited, putting the Government on track to deliver on its manifesto promise, despite Labour Mayors failing to hit their targets.
- The additional police for the Met builds on the Conservative Government’s Beating Crime Plan and Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – aimed at reducing crime, protecting victims and making the country safer.
Charlie Davis, Councillor for Eltham North, has welcomed the announcement that 2,599 police officers have been recruited to the Metropolitan since September 2019, bringing the total number of officers up to 34,542.
The latest figures are part of the Conservative Government’s drive to get 20,000 more police officers on the street by March 2023, and puts the Government on track to fulfil its manifesto commitment with 68 per cent of the target now met.
Across the 43 police forces, an additional 13,576 officers have been recruited, bringing the total number of police officers in England and Wales to 142,526 – where they are already having an impact in tackling crime and keeping communities safe.
The latest figures also show that the police are more representative of the communities they serve. More than four in ten new recruits since April 2020 are female and nearly 12 per cent of new recruits identify as belonging to a Black, Asian, Mixed or other minority ethnic group.
However, the figures show Labour Mayor’s Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, who run the Met and Greater Manchester Police forces, the largest and third largest forces in the country, failed to meet their targets for recruiting additional officers. Sadiq Khan fell 133 officers short of his target and Andy Burnham fell 30 short of his.
The 13,576 extra officers will support the Conservative Government’s crack down on crime, which has seen the launch of the Beating Crime Plan and the passing of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill through the House of Commons.
This builds on the action already taken by the Conservative Government since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister two years ago – including boosting police funding to a record £15.8 billion and delivering £70 million through the Safer Streets Fund to make neighbourhoods secure.
Commenting, Charlie said:
“From working with our local police force, I know just how valuable more police officers will be in helping crack down on crime in our local community.
“The 2,599 additional recruits mean there are now 34,542 police officers in the Met Police, helping to pursue criminals, keep neighbourhoods safe, and reassure the law-abiding majority.
“As a local councillor, I want to make sure Eltham gets it’s fair share of new officers to help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in our area. Locally, the Labour Party have prioritised new officers in Woolwich and this will continue without hard-working local Conservative councillors in the South of the borough making sure Eltham’s needs are listened to”.