National statistics

Police Uplift Programme: entry routes of officer recruits

Published 16 May 2024

Applies to England and Wales

Frequency of release: One-off ad-hoc release

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Rosanna Currenti

Press enquiries: 0300 123 3535

Public enquiries: policingstatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

Privacy information notice

Foreword

The Government made a manifesto commitment to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales over a 3-year period by 31 March 2023, known as the Police Uplift Programme (PUP). Throughout the duration of the PUP, data on the headcount of police officers was published on a quarterly basis in January, April, July and October, each year. Each bulletin provided provisional data for the most recent quarter, and finalised data was published in the next quarter. The provisional releases allowed for the timely reporting of police officer uplift figures as each release covered data up to the end of the previous month (for example the April release covered data up to 31 March). The finalised data was then published in the next quarter, allowing forces time to complete additional data quality checks, which may have resulted in small revisions. Final figures, concluding the police uplift programme, as at 31 March 2023, were published in July 2023.

Following the final release in July 2023 the Police officer uplift statistical series was retired, and reporting on the size and composition of the police workforce continues on a biannual basis in the Police workforce, England and Wales statistical bulletin which reports on the position as at 31 March, released in July each year, and as at 30 September, released in January each year.

Introduction

This one-off release collates information on new police officer recruits (headcount), in England and Wales, during the PUP. The headline figure on the number of new recruits is not a new statistic and is already in the public domain. The final release of the ’Police officer uplift’ statistical series published in July 2023, reported that a total of 46,504 officers were recruited between 1 November 2019 and 31 March 2023. The ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical series underwent National Statistics assessment by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). One of the conditions of the National Statistics assessment was to publish additional statistics on the entry routes of new recruits which users had identified were of interest.

The number of new recruits throughout the programme exceeded the number of officers counting towards the uplift (20,947 additional officers) as reported in the ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical series. Not all new recruits were counted as an additional officer against the baseline counting towards uplift progress, as forces were required to maintain their baseline by recruiting to backfill any leavers and they may have recruited additional officers to achieve other recruitment commitments, such as local commitments.

46,504 officer recruits (headcount) joined between November 2019 and March 2023, in England and Wales.

Key findings

Of the 46,504 police officer recruits (headcount) that joined during the Police Uplift Programme, between 1 November 2019 and 31 March 2023, in England and Wales:

• 18,078 officers joined by the first milestone as at 31 March 2021; a further 12,584 officers joined during the 12 months up to 31 March 2022 bringing the total to 30,662 officers recruited by the second milestone; and a further 15,842 officers during the 12 months up to 31 March 2023, bringing the total to 46,504 officers recruited by the third and final milestone

• March 2023 saw the highest number of police officer recruits in a calendar month during the programme, with 2,667 officers recruited

The majority of new recruits (66%) joined via entry routes which did not require the individual to be in possession of a degree. This included:

• 15,434 recruits (33%) through the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP)
• 15,089 recruits (32%) through the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)

The remaining 34% of new recruits joined via entry routes which required the individual to already be in possession of a degree. This included:

• 9,543 recruits (21%) through the Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (PC DHEP)
• 4,495 recruits (10%) through the Detective Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (DC DHEP)
• 1,591 (3%) via Police Now
• 352 (1%) were Professional Policing Degree (PPD) holders

1. Introduction

1.1 Introduction

The current government made a manifesto commitment to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales over a 3-year period by 31 March 2023. Throughout the duration of the recruitment campaign the Home Office published a quarterly ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical release to provide information on the recruitment of these additional officers. The release contained information on the number of police officer recruits that joined during the PUP, between November 2019 and March 2023, in England and Wales.

The ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical series was independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in October 2022. The statistics comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘Accredited Official Statistics’. Details about the OSR’s recommendations and actions taken by the Home Office can be found in the annex accompanying the National Statistics designation letter. This included a requirement to publish a one-off release on the entry-route of police officer recruits during the PUP which users of the uplift statistics expressed were of interest.

In response to the OSR’s assessment, this one-off release collates information on police officer recruits that joined during the PUP and provides data sets not previously published on the entry routes of these recruits. The release does not provide any new data on the size or composition of the total police workforce or on police officers in post in relation to the maintenance of the PUP.

1.2 Data collection

Home Office statisticians have worked closely with police colleagues in the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) working on the PUP to collect and quality assure the data for this publication. Data has been sourced from police forces’ Human Resource (HR) systems that was collected on a monthly basis during the police officer uplift recruitment campaign from each of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales.

1.3 Data sources accompanying this release

The data included in this release can be found in the accompanying ‘Police Uplift Programme: entry routes of officer recruits’ data tables and open data table.

1.4 Additional data sources

Throughout the duration of the PUP, data was published in the Police officer uplift statistical series. The series was retired in July 2023 following the release of final figures, concluding the PUP, as at 31 March 2023. Alongside the data tables accompanying the final release, information on the number of police officer joiners by ethnicity, sex, and age group, for each month since April 2020 was published in an open data format.

Statistics on the police workforce, including full-time equivalent (FTE) figures and information on other worker types, are published biannually in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. This includes information on the number of joiners to the police service within a financial year. The data is presented by joiner type including standard direct recruits, re-joiners, previously special constables, and transfers, although information on the entry route the individual joined through is not available. The long-standing statistical release includes data for the year ending March 2007 onwards.

The Home Office launched the ‘Police Uplift Programme New Recruits Onboarding Survey’ to improve understanding of the retention of newly recruited police officers. The primary aims were to provide insight into the views and experiences of new officers; better understand the onboarding process; and identify how views and opinions vary across subgroups. The Police Uplift Programme New Recruits Onboarding Survey 2021 Report was published in August 2022. The Police Uplift Programme New Recruits Onboarding Survey 2022 Report was published in February 2023. The Police Uplift Programme New Recruits Onboarding Survey 2023 Report was published in November 2023.

1.5 Accredited Official Statistics status

The ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical series was independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in October 2022. The data, formerly known as ‘National Statistics’, has been labelled ‘Accredited Official Statistics’. National Statistics is the legal term set out in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 for ‘Accredited Official Statistics’ that have been judged by the OSR^{[footnote 1]}, to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics (‘the Code’). This means these statistics meet the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value as set out in ‘the Code’. Further information about Accredited Official Statistics can be found on the OSR website.

1.6 Accountability statement

Our statistical practice is regulated by the OSR which sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly via policingstatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

2. New recruits

2.1 Introduction

A total of 46,504 officers (headcount) were recruited throughout the PUP, which exceeded the number of officers counting towards uplift (20,947 additional officers), as reported in the ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical series. Not all new recruits were counted as an additional officer against the baseline, counting towards uplift progress, as forces were required to maintain their baseline and backfill any leavers. Forces may have recruited additional officers not counting towards the uplift to achieve other recruitment commitments, such as local commitments.

2.2 New recruits

The key milestones in the 3-year programme were as at 31 March 2021 (additional 6,000 officers), 31 March 2022 (a total of 12,000 additional officers), and 31 March 2023 (20,000 additional officers in total). To achieve 20,000 additional officers above the adjusted baseline (128,433) forces needed to backfill any leavers.

Since November 2019 (when data collection began), forces in England and Wales had recruited 18,078 officers by the first milestone as at 31 March 2021; a further 12,584 officers during the 12 months up to 31 March 2022, bringing the total to 30,662 officers recruited by the second milestone; and a further 15,842 officers during the 12 months up to 31 March 2023, bringing the total to 46,504 officers recruited by the third and final milestone.

Figure 1 shows new recruits per month. The figures include all new recruits and excludes those returning to the police service after a period of absence and transfers between forces. The data should not be used to deduce the actual number of leavers. Detailed information on police officer leavers are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.

Figure 1 shows in March 2023 there were 2,667 police officer recruits, the highest number of new recruits in a calendar month during the programme. Throughout the duration of the recruitment campaign, officer recruitment levels varied by month reflecting the different recruitment cycles of individual forces as well as seasonal patterns. Throughout the campaign, during the months of March, levels of recruitment were higher, coinciding with the end of the financial year and the milestones within the PUP. During the months of April and December levels of recruitment were lower, reflecting a seasonal trend of fewer joiners at the start of the financial year and at the end of the calendar year (coinciding with the Christmas period).

Figure 1: Number of police officer recruits, by month, between November 2019 and March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Uplift Programme: entry routes of officer recruits: data tables’; table 1

Notes:

1. The data does not include those returning to the police service after a period of absence, nor do they include transfers.

Data on police officer recruits in each of the individual police forces can be found in the data tables that accompany this publication and the new recruits open data table.

3. Entry routes

3.1 Introduction

There are multiple routes to joining the police as a police officer; the entry route an individual follows will depend on what their chosen police force offers, and whether they take a route which requires the individual to hold a degree before making an application. For some entry routes the individual must hold a degree, however, non-degree holder entry routes are open to all.

Individuals who hold a degree can join the Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (PC DHEP) or Detective Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (DC DHEP). These routes take 2 years and include the attainment of a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice on completion.

Degree holders can also join via Police Now or through the Professional Policing Degree (PPD) holder entry route. Police Now is an independent social enterprise that offer 2-year graduate programmes, based on the ‘Degree Holder Entry Programme’ which lead to a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice. PPD is for individuals who have already self-funded and achieved a degree in professional policing. It is a 2-year programme which can be entirely force delivered and focused on providing the learning and development not covered in the degree course.

Individuals who do not hold a degree could join the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP), or the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA).

The IPLDP was a 2-year training programme, that could be delivered by the force. This route was available during the PUP but was ceased on 31 March 2024 (post the PUP) via a change in Police Regulations and has been replaced with the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP).

The PCDA is a 3-year programme, funded primarily through the apprenticeship levy and at no cost to the police constable joiner, that is delivered by a police force in collaboration with a higher education provider (with taught degree awarding powers). PCDA gives the individual a degree in Professional Policing Practice on successful completion of their apprenticeship.

3.2 Entry routes

Figure 2 shows entry routes of the 46,504 police officer recruits (headcount) that joined during the PUP, between November 2019 and March 2023, in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales.

The chart shows the IPLDP route was the most common entry route for new recruits that joined during the PUP. A total of 15,434 recruits joined via the IPLDP, which accounted for one third (33%) of new recruits. A further 15,089 recruits joined through the PCDA, which accounted for 32% of recruits during the PUP. An additional 9,543 recruits joined through the PC DHEP and 4,495 recruits joined through the DC DHEP, which accounted for 21% and 10% of new recruits respectively. A small number of recruits joined via Police Now (1,591 or 3%) and as PPD holders (352 or one per cent).

Figure 2: Number of police officer recruits, by entry route, between November 2019 and March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Uplift Programme: entry routes of officer recruits: data tables’; table 2

Notes:

1. The data does not include those returning to the police service after a period of absence, nor do they include transfers.
2. ‘Entry route’ is the pathway a police officer uses to join the police service.
3. See the glossary chapter for definitions of the entry routes.

Degree and non-degree holder routes

Figure 3 shows the entry route of the 46,504 police officer recruits (headcount) that joined during the PUP, between November 2019 and March 2023, in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, by whether the route required the individual to hold a degree. The majority, two-thirds (66%) of new recruits joined via non-degree holder routes totalling 30,523 new recruits. These routes consist of 15,434 recruits (33%) through the IPLDP and 15,089 recruits (32%) through the PCDA. The remaining third (34%) of new recruits joined via degree holder routes totalling 15,981 new recruits. This includes 9,543 recruits (21%) through the PC DHEP, 4,495 recruits (10%) through the DC DHEP, 1,591 recruits (3%) via Police Now and 352 (1%) as PPD holders.

Figure 3: Number of police officer recruits, by degree and non-degree holder routes, between November 2019 and March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Uplift Programme: entry routes of officer recruits: data tables’; table 3

Notes:

1. The data does not include those returning to the Police Service after a period of absence, nor do they include transfers.
2. ‘Non-degree holder’ routes include the IPLDP and PCDA.
3. ‘Degree holder’ routes include the PC DHEP, DC DHEP, Police Now and PPD Holders.
4. See the glossary chapter for definitions of the entry routes.

4. Glossary

Adjusted baseline: the adjusted baseline is the figure used to track the recruitment of an additional 20,000 officers. The adjusted baseline is the original baseline with in-year adjustments then made to account for externally funded posts that have moved since the calculation of the original baseline.

Detective: a police officer who specialises in investigations.

Detective Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (DC DHEP): a 2-year programme for graduates which includes the attainment of a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice on completion. This route specialises in ‘detective’ training.

Entry route: the pathway a police officer uses to join a force as a police constable and to be trained for the role. All involve a mixture of ‘on-the-job’ experience and classroom-based learning, during the initial training period. See the following entry routes for more information: Detective Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme, Initial Police Learning and Development Programme, Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship, Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme, Police Constable Entry Programme, Police Now, Pre-Join Degree in Professional Policing.

Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP): a 2-year programme that could be entirely delivered by the force and which was first introduced in 2006. The IPLDP route was closed to new cohorts on 31 March 2024 following a change in Police Regulations.

New recruit: an individual who is joining the police service for the first time. This does not include those returning after a period of absence, nor does it include transfers or those rejoining.

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA): a 3-year programme, funded primarily through the apprenticeship levy and at no cost to the police constable joiner, that is delivered by a police force in collaboration with a higher education provider which gives the individual a degree in Professional Policing Practice on successful completion of their apprenticeship.

Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (PC DHEP): a 2-year programme for graduates which includes the attainment of a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice on completion.

Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP): a 2-year training programme which can be entirely delivered by the force. PCEP replaced IPLDP and was formally launched on 1 April 2024. This entry route was not available during the PUP.

Police Constable Entry Route: the police constable entry routes (PCER) are the pathways to join a force as a police constable and to be trained for the role. All involve a mixture of ‘on-the-job’ experience and classroom-based learning, during the initial training period. The following police constable entry routes are the current available routes and are all underpinned by the same core curriculum:

• Degree in Professional Policing Holder Entry Route
• Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship
• Detective Constable and Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme
• Police Constable Entry Programme

Police Now: an independent social enterprise that offers 2-year graduate programmes, based on the ‘Degree Holder Entry Programme’ and which lead to a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice.

Professional Policing Degree (PPD) Holder: for individuals who have already self-funded and achieved a degree in professional policing. PPD is a 2-year programme which can be entirely force delivered and focused on providing the learning and development not covered in the degree course.

1. OSR are the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority. ↩