ACPO comment on Police Service Strength Statistics for England and Wales

ACPO lead for workforce development, Chief Constable Peter Fahy, said:

“With recruitment frozen across most police forces and officers continuing to retire or leave the service, it is inevitable that police officer numbers will decline over the coming four years. The challenge is to maintain those parts of the service which are most valued by the public while reducing bureaucracy and unproductive activity.

"This has to be a debate not about officer numbers but about what officers spend their time doing and the overall impact of funding reductions on public confidence in policing. The way policing is organised and delivered will have to change significantly as this reduction in officers takes hold."

These statistics can be found here: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs11/hosb0311.pdf

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk