Accredited official statistics

Police workforce, England and Wales: 30 September 2024

Published 22 January 2025

Applies to England and Wales

Frequency of release: Biannual

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Jodie Hargreaves

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Public enquiries: policingstatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

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Introduction

This release is a mid-year update of the Police workforce, England and Wales publication series, containing information on police workers (covering both officers and staff) in post on 30 September 2024.

Key findings

• as at 30 September 2024, the total paid police workforce size (including police officers, police staff, designated officers and police community support officers (PCSOs)) in England and Wales was 236,655 full-time equivalents (FTE), an increase of 425 (0.2%) compared with 6 months earlier (236,230 FTE as at 31 March 2024)

This includes:

• 146,868 FTE police officers, down 878 FTE or 0.6%, on 147,746 FTE in March 2024
• 82,371 FTE police staff and designated officers, up 1,453 FTE or 1.8%, on 80,918 FTE in March 2024
• 7,417 FTE PCSOs, down 150 FTE or 2.0%, on 7,567 FTE in March 2024)
• the latest figure, as at 30 September 2024 (146,868 FTE), is 878 officers fewer than the peak of 147,746 in March 2024 (down 0.6%)
• the latest headcount figure, as at 30 September 2024 (148,886), is 883 officers fewer than the peak of 149,769 in March 2024 (down 0.6%)

1. Introduction

1.1 Introduction

This release is a mid-year update of the Police workforce, England and Wales publication series. It contains statistics on the number of police officers, police staff and designated officers^{[footnote 1]}, police community support officers (PCSOs), special constables and police support volunteers (PSVs) in post on 30 September 2024. The statistics cover the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. Data from the British Transport Police (BTP) and the National Crime Agency (NCA) is provided in the accompanying data tables, though their figures are largely excluded from analysis within this report and do not count towards the England and Wales total (which relates to the 43 territorial forces only).

Unless otherwise stated, total workforce figures quoted in the bulletin include those on career breaks or other forms of long-term absence, as well as those seconded into police forces from other forces or central services (for example, the Home Office and the NCA). It excludes those seconded out from forces to central services. The headline workforce figures in this release are all presented on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis unless indicated otherwise. The accompanying data tables provide the same information on a headcount basis.

This release provides additional information on the number of police officers in post in each month from March to September 2024, on a headcount basis, in Annex A. Data has been provided to the Home Office by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). The data is therefore management information, and is not classed as Accredited Official Statistics, nor has it undergone the same quality assurance checks as the statistics in the main release. This is a one-off release of data and provides information on the number of police officers when the new Government took office in July 2024, given the standard reporting dates (of March and September) do not align with the date of the change in administration. Future releases will continue as bi-annual updates (as at March and September).

The user guide to Police workforce statistics contains further information, including a glossary, conventions used, and other background information. It contains further information on the quality and limitations of the various data sets, and the ways in which the Home Office engages with users of the statistics.

1.2 Accredited Official Statistics status

These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, impartiality, quality and value in Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘Accredited Official Statistics’.

1.3 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.

1.4 Revisions

Since the previous publication, covering the police workforce as at 31 March 2024, released in July 2024, some forces have requested routine revisions to previously published data.

Three forces (City of London, Durham and Hampshire and Isle of Wight) have amended their police staff and designated officer figures as at 31 March 2024. One force (Durham) has amended their PCSO figure as at 31 March 2024. Two forces (Gloucestershire and Greater Manchester) have amended their PSV figure as at 30 September 2023. Tables 1.1 and 1.2 show the scale of the revisions.

Table 1.1: Updates to previously published police workforce data (FTE), England and Wales

Worker type	Time period	Original figure	Amended figure	Difference	Percentage (%) difference
Police staff and designated officers	Mar-24	81,303	80,918	-385	-0.5%
Police community support officers	Mar-24	7,539	7,567	28	0.4%

Table 1.2: Updates to previously published police workforce data (headcount), England and Wales

Worker type	Time period	Original figure	Amended figure	Difference	Percentage (%) difference
Police staff and designated officers	Mar-24	88,139	87,717	-422	-0.5
Police community support officers	Mar-24	7,857	7,885	28	0.4
Police support volunteers	Sep-23	7,358	7,250	-108	-1.5

The data tables published alongside these statistics, which include data on worker types by Police Force Area (PFA), contain the latest data including revisions to previous time periods. In addition, updated open data tables have been published on the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ open data tables page on gov.uk. The absences, age, ethnicity, functions, joiners and workforce open data tables have been updated following these revisions. The leavers, length of service, limited duties and promotions open data tables were not affected by these revisions.

2. Police workforce (FTE), as at 30 September 2024

2.1 Police workforce

There were 236,655 FTE paid police workers (including police officers, police staff, designated officers and PCSOs) employed by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales on 30 September 2024. This represents an increase of 2,217 (0.9%) compared with 12 months earlier (234,438 FTE as at 30 September 2023), and an increase of 425 (0.2%) compared with 6 months earlier (236,230 FTE as at 31 March 2024). The size of the paid police workforce has been increasing over the last 7 years, from a low point of 198,378 FTE as at 30 September 2017 to 236,655 FTE as at 30 September 2024.

Over the past 12 months, there were decreases in both the number of FTE police officers (down 0.2% since 30 September 2023) and FTE PCSOs (down 3.1% over the same period). Meanwhile, compared to a year earlier, increases were seen in the number of FTE police staff and designated officers (up 3.4% since 30 September 2023). There was also an 8.1% fall in the number of special constables and a 3.7% fall in the number of PSVs^{[footnote 2]} compared to 30 September 2023 (both on a headcount basis).

Officers, as at 30 September 2024, account for 62% of the paid police workforce, a similar proportion to the previous year (at 63% on 30 September 2023).

Table 2.1: Police workforce (FTE) as at 30 September 2023, 31 March 2024, and 30 September 2024, England and Wales

	As at: 30 Sept 2023	As at: 31 March 2024	As at: 30 Sept 2024	Change in 12 months Sep-23 to Sep-24 (number)	Change in 12 months Sep-23 to Sep-24 (%)	Change in 6 months Mar-24 to Sep-24 (number)	Change in 6 months Mar-24 to Sep-24 (%)
Police officers	147,098	147,746	146,868	-231	-0.2	-878	-0.6
Police staff and designated officers	79,688	80,918	82,371	2,683	3.4	1,453	1.8
PCSOs	7,651	7,567	7,417	-235	-3.1	-150	-2.0
Total workforce	234,438	236,230	236,655	2,217	0.9	425	0.2
Special constables (headcount)	6,330	6,118	5,818	-512	-8.1	-300	-4.9
PSVs (headcount)	7,250	7,211	6,984	-266	-3.7	-227	-3.1

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2024: data tables’

Notes:

1. Excludes BTP and secondments to central services.
2. Designated officers and police staff have been combined as some forces are unable to provide data on designated officers separately.
3. Special constables and PSVs do not have contracted working hours so their numbers are provided on a headcount basis rather than FTE.

2.2 Police officers

As at 30 September 2024, there were 146,868 FTE police officers in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. This is a decrease of 0.2% (231 FTEs) from the 147,098 FTE police officers on 30 September 2023.

The number of FTE police officers peaked at 147,746 at 31 March 2024, the highest number of officers on record (since comparable records began in March 2003). The latest data as at 30 September 2024, shows a decrease from the peak, down to 146,868 FTE (a decrease of 878 officers or 0.6% since March 2024).

As at 30 September 2024, there were 241 FTE police officers per 100,000 resident population in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales^{[footnote 3]}. The Metropolitan Police Service had the highest rate of officers per population, at 378, whilst Lincolnshire had the lowest rate of officers per population, at 154.

In addition to officers working in the 43 territorial police forces, the BTP employed 2,915 FTE police officers (down from 3,130 FTE on 30 September 2023), and the NCA employed 5,671 FTE officers (up from 5,390 FTE on 30 September 2023). It should be noted that NCA officers are defined on a different basis than the territorial forces and the BTP, since they include both those warranted with the powers of a police constable or other powers, as well as non-warranted officers (civilians involved in the investigation of serious and organised crime). There were also a further 448 FTE police officers seconded out to central services^{[footnote 4]} as at 30 September 2024.

Figure 2.1 shows the long-term trend in FTE police officer numbers in the 43 territorial police forces.

Figure 2.1: Police officers (FTE), as at 30 September 2006 to 2024, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2024: data tables’, Table 4

Notes:

1. Excludes BTP and secondments to central services.

Between March 2010 and September 2017, the number of officers in England and Wales declined and reached a low point in September 2017 (at 121,929 FTE officers). Between March 2018 and September 2018 officer numbers were stable. From September 2018 to March 2023 officer numbers increased every 6 months reaching 147,434 FTE as at 31 March 2023. Officer numbers dipped in September 2023 before reaching an all-time peak of 147,746 FTE in March 2024, the highest number of FTE officers since comparable records began in March 2003. As at 30 September 2024, there were 146,868 FTE police officers, a fall of 878 FTE officers since the peak in March 2024.

Figure 2.2 shows the change in the number of police officers as at 31 March 2007 to 30 September 2024, compared with the previous 6 months. The chart shows that between March 2018 and March 2023 officer numbers increased consistently every 6 months, coinciding with the Police Uplift Programme (a commitment made by the 2019 Government to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers (headcount) by March 2023). As at 30 September 2024 officer numbers fell by 878 FTE compared to March 2024.

Figure 2.2: Change in the number of FTE police officers, as at 31 March 2007 to 30 September 2024 compared with the previous 6 months, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2024: data tables’, Table 4

Notes:

1. Excludes BTP and secondments to central services.

Figure 2.3 shows the percentage change in the number of police officers as at 30 September 2024 compared with 31 March 2024 by PFA. The chart shows, of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, 29 forces recorded reductions in police officer numbers as at 30 September 2024 compared with 6 months earlier.

Figure 2.3: Change in the number of FTE police officers, as at 30 September 2024 compared with 31 March 2024, by Police Force Area, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2024: data tables’, Table 1

Notes:

1. Excludes BTP and secondments to central services.

2.3 Other worker types

Figure 2.4 shows the long-term trend in FTE police officers, police staff and designated officers, and PCSOs in the 43 territorial police forces.

Figure 2.4: FTE police officers, staff and designated officers, and PCSOs, as at 30 September 2006 to 2024, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2024: data tables’, Table 4

Notes:

1. Excludes BTP and secondments to central services.
2. Designated officers and police staff have been combined as some forces are unable to provide data on designated officers separately.
3. ‘Paid police workforce’ includes officers, police staff, designated officers and PCSOs.

The chart shows that, in general, staff and designated officer numbers have followed a similar trend to police officer numbers over the past decade, peaking in March 2010 at 83,436 FTE staff and designated officers. This was followed by a decline in the number of police staff and designated officers, reaching a low point in September 2016 (at 64,785 FTE). Since then, staff and designated officer numbers have increased every 6 months. There were 82,371 FTE police staff and designated officers employed by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales on 30 September 2024, an increase of 2,683 (3.4%) compared with 12 months earlier (79,688 FTE as at 30 September 2023), and an increase of 1,453 (1.8%) compared with 6 months earlier (80,918 FTE as at 31 March 2024). The current number of FTE police staff and designated officers, as at 30 September 2024, is 1,066 FTE (1.3%) fewer than the peak recorded in March 2010.

The chart shows, PCSOs peaked at 16,918 FTE in March 2010 and have been on a downward trend since. There were 7,417 FTE PCSOs employed by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales on 30 September 2024, a decrease of 235 (3.1%) compared with 12 months earlier (7,651 FTE as at 30 September 2023), and a decrease of 150 (2.0%) compared with 6 months earlier (7,567 FTE as at 31 March 2024). The current number of FTE PCSOs, as at 30 September 2024, is 9,501 FTEs (56.2%) fewer than the peak recorded in March 2010.

3. Police workforce (headcount), as at 30 September 2024

3.1 Introduction

The headline workforce figures in this release are presented on an FTE basis (in chapter 2). This chapter includes information on the latest police workforce figures on a headcount basis. There is a relatively small difference between the headcount and FTE figures. As at 30 September 2024, the police officer headcount in England and Wales was 148,886 and the FTE figure was 146,868 – a 1.4% difference.

Headcount data is available in the data tables published alongside these statistics.

3.2 Police officer headcount

The latest data, as at 30 September 2024, shows there are 148,886 officers (headcount) in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. This represents a decrease of 0.2% (278 officers) on the 149,164 police officers (headcount) in post 12 months ago, as at 30 September 2023, and a decrease of 0.6% (883 officers) on the 149,769 police officers (headcount) in post 6 months ago, as at 31 March 2024.

Figure 3.1 shows the long-term trend in police officer numbers (headcount) in the 43 territorial police forces.

Figure 3.1: Police officers (headcount), as at 31 March 2007 to 30 September 2024, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2024: data tables’, Table 10

Notes:

1. Excludes BTP and secondments to central services.
2. Headcount data was collected annually, as at 31 March only, between 2007 and 2019. From September 2019 onwards, headcount data has been collected biannually at both 31 March and 30 September.

3.3 Other worker types

Headcount data for other worker types is available in the data tables published alongside these statistics. Table 3.1 provides a summary of other worker types, on a headcount basis, in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales.

Table 3.1: Police workforce (headcount) as at 30 September 2023, 31 March 2024, and 30 September 2024, England and Wales

	As at: 30 Sept 2023	As at: 31 March 2024	As at: 30 Sept 2024	Change in 12 months Sep-23 to Sep-24 (number)	Change in 12 months Sep-23 to Sep-24 (%)	Change in 6 months Mar-24 to Sep-24 (number)	Change in 6 months Mar-24 to Sep-24 (%)
Police officers	149,164	149,769	148,886	-278	-0.2	-883	-0.6
Police staff and designated officers	86,397	87,717	89,270	2,873	3.3	1,553	1.8
PCSOs	7,981	7,885	7,735	-246	-3.1	-150	-1.9
Total workforce	243,542	245,371	245,891	2,349	1.0	520	0.2
Special constables	6,330	6,118	5,818	-512	-8.1	-300	-4.9
PSVs	7,250	7,211	6,984	-266	-3.7	-227	-3.1

Source: Home Office, ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2024: data tables’

Annex A: Monthly police officer headcount figures

This note provides additional information on the number of police officers in post in each month from March to September 2024, on a headcount basis.

Data in this Annex has been provided to the Home Office by the NPCC. The data is therefore management information, and is not classed as Accredited Official Statistics, nor has it undergone the same quality assurance checks as the statistics in the main release. As defined by the UKSA in the ‘National Statistician’s Guidance to Management Information and Official Statistics’, management information is aggregate information collated and used in the normal course of business to inform operational delivery, policy development or the management of organisational performance.

This is a one-off release of data and provides information on the number of police officers when the new Government took office in July 2024, given the standard reporting dates (of March and September) do not align with the date of the change in administration. Future releases will continue as bi-annual updates (as at March and September).

Data in this Annex cover the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, on a headcount basis only. There is a relatively small difference between headcount and FTE figures. As at 30 September 2024, the police officer headcount in England and Wales was 148,886 and the FTE was 146,868, a 1.4% difference.

Table A1 presents the number of police officers (headcount), in each month from March to September 2024, in the 43 territorial police force in England and Wales.

Table A1: Police officers (headcount) by month, as at 31 March to 30 September 2024, England and Wales

As at	Police officers (headcount)
31-Mar-24	149,769
30-Apr-24	149,150
31-May-24	148,670
30-Jun-24	148,536
31-Jul-24	148,485
31-Aug-24	147,960
30-Sep-24	148,886

Source: NPCC management information

Biannual data collected by the Home Office, in the Accredited Official Statistics ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical series, shows there were 149,769 police officers (headcount) as at 31 March 2024 and 148,886 officers (headcount) as at 30 September 2024, in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. This represents a decrease of 0.6% (883 officers) between March and September 2024. Table A1 shows monthly police officer headcount figures between those periods. Officer numbers fell each month between March and August 2024 from 149,769 to 147,960, before increasing in the month of September 2024 to 148,886 (headcount).

The number of police officers each month can vary throughout the year depending on fluctuations in recruitment and retention. Some forces run the majority of their recruitment at a particular point in the year as it may be more efficient to do so, whereas other forces may choose to recruit more consistently and continuously throughout the year. These decisions will vary by force.

Future releases of data will continue as bi-annual updates (as at March and September). The next release of police officer numbers, covering the situation as at 31 March 2025, is scheduled for release in July 2025.

1. Designated officers are police staff (who are not police officers) employed to exercise specific powers that would otherwise only be available to police officers. ↩

2. Individuals who by choice put their time, experience, knowledge and skills at the disposal of the force without expectation of compensation or financial rewards, except for the payment of pre-determined out of pocket expenses. ↩

3. Calculated using Office for National Statistics’ 2023 mid-year population estimates for England and Wales. ↩

4. Secondments to central services are secondments to central government, for example, the Home Office, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), or the NCA. ↩