Police Uplift: Cuts To Policing Have Had Consequences Over The Past Decade
THE Police Service needs continued investment and continued recruitment for the foreseeable future to go above and beyond repairing the damage done to police numbers over the last 10 years.
That’s the view of South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent who was speaking after concerns were raised over the number of officers recently recruited to Policing who are leaving the job.
Data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, obtained by Police Oracle, revealed the average attrition rate is 9.1 per cent with 2,567 leavers from 28,173 new recruits.
The recruits have been recorded from November 2019 and the leavers from April 2020.
Steve said thankfully the retention rate in South Yorkshire was fairly high but the force cant rest on its laurels.
Steve said: “We’re seeing a big clump of officers retiring at the moment, which is lessening the impact of people coming in, in the short-term. But the good news is, by the end of this year we should see some real big growth in terms of our force numbers.
“We just have to wait for those officers to get experience and bedded in. And then obviously the real effect will kick in as to how good that is. But this can’t just be a case of, right, let’s get everybody through, shut the back door, that’s it.
“This needs to be continued investment and continued recruitment for the foreseeable future really, to go above and beyond repairing the damage of the last 10 years. Yes, it’s a challenge to keep people in because some people sadly join the police with false expectations and maybe not suitable for the role, but the majority of people coming through are going out on the streets and doing the job. So good luck to them.”
A PFEW spokesperson said: “Although the data shows significant variations in attrition rates across forces, it is concerning to see some have reached double figures. From day one we have said retention is as vital as recruitment.
“Our members deserve more investment in mental health and wellbeing, better benefits and the most appropriate integrated learning that equips them for the reality of policing.
“It is also paramount our police are paid fairly for the stresses and the hazards they face while protecting the public.
“The starting salary for many officers in their first year of undertaking a police constable degree apprenticeship is £19,164 which is barely above the current national living wage – which is set to increase in April.
“Additionally, more than one in 10 police officers told us in our most recent survey they are not or almost never able to cover their monthly essentials, while almost half said their pay increased their intention to leave the force.
“Leaders must ensure they do not just focus on getting people through the door, but also do what is needed to keep them by putting their workforce first so policing can continue to provide the best service to the public.”
If the Government’s 20,000 ‘Police Uplift’ target is achieved, it would bring officer numbers up to around 148,000, which is slightly above the number of officers in 2010.