National statistics

Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2022

Published 27 July 2022

Applies to England and Wales

Frequency of release: Biannual

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Jodie Hargreaves

Press enquiries: pressoffice@homeoffice.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 123 3535

Public enquiries: policingstatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

Privacy information notice

Introduction

This release is an end-year update of the Police workforce, England and Wales publication series, containing information on police workers in post on 31 March 2022. This release also provides more detailed information on police workers, such as sex, ethnicity and age breakdowns, as well as roles that officers perform.

While this bulletin contains information on workers as at 31 March 2022, a second statistical bulletin on ‘police officer uplift’ has also been published alongside this release. This second release provides information on progress with the recruitment of an additional 20,000 officers in England and Wales as at June 2022.

140,228 full-time equivalent (FTE) officers were in post as at 31 March 2022 in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales.

Key findings

• this was an increase of 4% on March 2021 (up 4,927 FTEs from 135,301 officers)
• excluding transfers, 12,789 new police officers (FTE) joined the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022, an increase of 662 (or 5.5%) on the previous year
• this is the second highest number of joiners in a year since records began, just behind the year ending March 2020 when there were 12,883 joiners (excluding transfers)
• excluding transfers, 8,117 (FTE) police officers left the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022, the highest number of annual leavers since comparable records began in the financial year ending March 2003
• the police officer leaver rate (leavers as a proportion of headcount at the start of the year) was 6.0%, similar to levels seen between the financial years ending 2016 and 2019 and follows a dip in leaver rate seen in the previous year coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic

Figure 1: Year on year change in officer numbers (FTE)

• the total workforce (officers, staff, Police Community Support Officers and designated officers) as at 31 March 2022, was 225,229 FTE, an increase of 2% on the previous year

1. Introduction

1.1 General introduction

This release contains statistics on the numbers of police officers, police staff, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), designated officers^{[footnote 1]}, special constables and Police Support Volunteers (PSVs) in post on 31 March 2022. The statistics cover all the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. Also, data from the British Transport Police (BTP), and from the National Crime Agency (NCA) are 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. It excludes those seconded out from forces to central services. The 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.

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 datasets, and the ways in which the Home Office engages with users of the statistics.

The data in this release, as well as headcount figures, can be found in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2022 data tables.

1.2 New content in this release

As part of the initiative to improve data on the police workforce and to align the monthly data collected for the police uplift programme with these statistics, a number of changes have been made to the data collection template, particularly around the collection of data on protected characteristics.

The Home Office, the NPCC and the College of Policing have been collaborating in developing a National Standard for Workforce Data. These Data Standards draw on existing harmonised standards set out by the Government Statistical Service and aim to bring more standardisation within policing for the collection of data on protected characteristics (and some other demographic information). The variables currently covered by the Standards are: Ethnicity, Age, Religion or Belief, Disability, Sexual orientation, Gender, Sex, and Gender Reassignment. A full breakdown of the standards can be found in the user guide.

Information on their protected characteristics is self-reported by officers on police force HR systems. Recent changes to police force HR systems to align with the new Data Standards have allowed all staff the opportunity to review existing records and declare further information on protected characteristics. However, many officers are yet to update their profiles and, as such, data are not currently complete.

Since data on sex and ethnicity have been collected for longer, the data are more complete and reliable, so this bulletin focusses on these protected characteristics. For the first time in this publication series, an annex to this release provides information on the proportion of officers broken down by sexual orientation, disability status and religious beliefs (though these data remain largely incomplete).

The Home Office and NPCC continue to work with police forces to improve the quality of data collected on protected characteristics. It is expected that this will result in more complete data for officers and new recruits, as well as updated records for those officers in post where a characteristic was previously not stated.

1.3 National Statistics Status

The Office for Statistics Regulation (the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority) has confirmed the continued designation of these statistics as National Statistics. This means that these statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, impartiality, quality and public value, and are fully compliant with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Given the known issues around the quality of the data, statistics in this release on ‘Length of service’ are designated as Official Statistics, and not National Statistics. Further information can be found in section 3.6.

2. Headline workforce figures

Key findings

• as at 31 March 2022 there were 225,229 FTE police workers (including staff) employed by the 43 territorial forces in England and Wales, an increase of 2% on the previous year
• in addition, there were 5,289 FTE National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in England and Wales - NCA officers include both those warranted with the powers of a police constable or other powers, as well as civilians involved in the investigation of serious and organised crime (non-warranted officers)
• as at 31 March 2022, there were 140,228 (FTE) officers in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, a 4% increase from 135,301 officers the previous year
• following the government’s pledge in 2019 to recruit an additional 20,000 officers by March 2023, there has been a 14% increase in the number of police officers, up from 123,189 as at 31 March 2019

2.1 Total police workforce

As at 31 March 2022, there were 225,229 FTE workers employed by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales (Table 2.1), an increase of 4,709, or 2%, compared with a year earlier (when there were 220,519 workers).

Table 2.1: Police workforce, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Rank	2021	2022	Percentage change (%)
Chief Officer1	236	243	2.8
Superintendent (includes chiefs)	1,277	1,350	5.7
Chief Inspector	1,846	2,010	8.9
Inspector	5,941	6,245	5.1
Sergeant	19,211	20,332	5.8
Constable	106,790	110,048	3.1
Total police officer ranks	135,301	140,228	3.6
Police staff and designated officers	75,934	76,250	0.4
Police community support officer	9,284	8,750	-5.8
Total police workforce	220,519	225,229	2.1
Special constabulary2	9,174	8,545	-6.9
Police support volunteers2	8,014	7,981	-0.4

Source: Home Office, Workforce Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Includes Assistant Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Constables and Chief Constables, and their equivalents in the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police. These police officers were previously referred to as Association of Chief Police Officer (ACPO) ranks; however, on 1 April 2015 ACPO was replaced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
2. Special constables and police support volunteers do not have contracted working hours, so their numbers are provided on a headcount rather than FTE basis.

Amongst the paid workforce there were increases in all police officer ranks, the number of police staff (including designated officers) remained stable, and there were decreases in PCSOs compared with the previous year. Amongst the unpaid workforce, the volume of both special constables and PSVs decreased.

The increase in police officers (which increased by 4,927 FTE compared with the previous year) reflects the drive to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers by March 2023. Some of these new recruits may have joined following experience as a special constable or PCSO, which may explain some of the falls in those categories.

Figure 2.1 shows the long-term trend in the police workforce numbers, broken down by worker type. Workforce numbers had been increasing to 2010, then decreased in each year before reaching a low-point in 2017. In the last four years the previous downward trend has reversed, and the latest figures show the total police workforce (all officers and staff types) has increased by 2% compared with the previous year.

Figure 2.1: Police workforce, by worker type, as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2022, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Table H3

In addition to the 225,229 police workers, there were 8,545 special constables (headcount) in the 43 police forces in England and Wales as at 31 March 2022, and 7,981 Police Support Volunteers (PSVs). Special constables and PSVs do not have contracted working hours so their numbers are provided on a headcount rather than an FTE basis.

2.2 Police officers

There were 140,228 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in the 43 police forces as at 31 March 2022 (142,505 in headcount terms). This was the highest number of officers since 31 March 2011. However, the latest figures are still 2% lower than the peak in 2009, when there were 143,769 police officers, representing a total decrease of 3,541 FTEs (since 2009).

While not included in the headline figures, the British Transport Police employed 2,960 FTE police officers in England and Wales, an increase of 2% compared to the previous year (up from 2,902 FTE).

On 5 September 2019 the Prime Minister announced the government commitment to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales by 31 March 2023. The first two phases of this pledge were to recruit up to 12,000 additional officers by the end of March 2022. Statistics on the progress towards this recruitment target, as well as the methodology for counting additional officers, is published separately in the quarterly Police officer uplift statistics.

Figure 2.2 shows the number of police officers in the 43 territorial forces increased by 4,927 FTE (4%) compared with a year earlier, the fourth consecutive annual increase after a previous downward trend since 2010. This equated to an increase of 4,815, or 3%, in headcount terms as at 31 March 2022 (from 137,690 to 142,505).

Figure 2.2: Change in the number of police officers (FTE), as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022, compared with the previous 12 months, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Table H3

2.3 Other police workers and volunteers

Figure 2.3 shows the trend in the number of other police workers and volunteers since 31 March 2010. Between 2010 and 2017, there was a downward trend in the number of police staff and designated officers. Since the year ending March 2018, there has been an upward trend in the number of police staff and designated officers, to 75,934 in the year ending March 2021, and remaining stable at 76,250 in the year ending March 2022. Excluding volunteers (special constables and Police Support Volunteers), the largest fall in the paid workforce was seen in PCSOs, which fell by 5.8% (534 FTE) compared to the previous year.

Figure 2.3 Police staff and designated officers, Police Community Support Officers, and special constables, 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Table H3

3. Promotions, joiners and leavers

Key findings

In the year ending 31 March 2022:

• 12,789 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers joined the 43 police forces in England and Wales (excluding transfers), an increase of 662 (or 5.5%) on the previous year
• this is the second highest number of joiners in a year since records began, just behind the year ending March 2020 when there were 12,883 joiners (excluding transfers)
• 8,117 FTE police officers left the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales (excluding transfers), an increase of 2,099 (or 34.9%) on the previous year
• the volume of leavers is the highest number of annual leavers since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003)
• however, the leaver rate (leavers as a proportion of headcount at the start of the year), which takes into account the size of the workforce, was 6.0%, similar to levels seen between the financial years ending 2016 and 2020; this follows a dip in the leaver rate seen in the year ending March 2021 (4.7%), which coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic
• 4,272 police officers received a promotion in 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022, accounting for 3.1% of all officers at the start of the previous year

This chapter presents statistics on the number of promotions, joiners and leavers in the police, as well as information on the length of service of current police officers.

Data on promotions are based on the number of officers promoted during the financial year and are on a headcount basis. Data are collected by the rank to which an officer is promoted. Officers on temporary promotion and those promoted on transfer from another police force are not included.

Data on joiners and leavers are based on the number of workers who joined and left the force during the financial year and are based on full-time equivalents (FTEs). Joiner rates are calculated by dividing the number of joiners during the financial year by the total number of workers as at the end of the year (i.e. 31st March). This indicates how many of those employed by the force at the end of the year joined during the year.

Leaver rates are calculated by dividing the number of leavers during the financial year by the total number of workers at the end of the previous year (i.e. as at 31 March). This indicates how many of those employed at the start of the current year left during the year.

These leaver rates are a good indication of turnover within the police but not a precise one as individual workers cannot be tracked. Some workers may join and leave the force during the same year and will only be captured in the denominator (i.e. those employed at the end of the previous year). This is particularly for those worker types with higher turnover, such as special constables.

There are several routes via which officers can join or leave the police:

Joiners

Standard direct recruit:
Individuals joining the police for the first time, including via Direct Entry, Fast Track and Police Now schemes. This also includes Police Community Support Officers and other police staff who are joining as a police officer.

Re-joining:
Individuals who have previously left the forces and have since re-joined.

Previously special constable:
Individuals who are joining as a police officer having previously been a special constable.

Transfer:
Individuals joining from one of the other 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, or another non-Home Office force (e.g. the British Transport Police).

Leavers

Death:
Those who have died, either on active duty or otherwise.

Dismissal or contract termination:
Individuals who have been required to resign, made compulsorily redundant, or have had their contract terminated. While these figures will include dismissals for misconduct, they are not exclusively misconduct cases, as they also include redundancies and contract terminations.

Medical retirement:
Individuals who have retired on ill health grounds.

Normal retirement:
Individuals who have retired, not on ill health grounds.

Transfer:
Individuals leaving to join one of the other 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, or a non-Home Office force (e.g. the British Transport Police).

Voluntary resignation:
Individuals who resign or leave under voluntary exit schemes. Special constables, who leave to join the regular constabulary, or have been inactive for more than 12 months, are included here.

Further information on the routes via which officers can join or leave the police can be found in the user guide.

3.1 Promotions

In the year ending 31 March 2022, 4,272 police officers received a promotion in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, accounting for 3.1% of all officers in post at the start of the previous year (March 2021). This was an increase of 28% in police officer promotions recorded compared with the year ending 31 March 2021 (3,343), when the rate of promotions was 2.5%.

As in previous years, most promotions were seen at lower ranks, such as constables promoted to sergeants (accounting for 60% of all promotions). As expected, fewer promotions were seen in higher ranks, such as Chief Superintendents promoted to Chief Officers (0.9%). This reflects the hierarchical structure of the police workforce with fewer opportunities for promotion at the top of the pyramid.

Figure 3.1: Police officer promotions (headcount), years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales^1,2

Source: Home Office, Table P1

Notes:

1. Officers on temporary promotion and those promoted on transfer from another police force are not included in these statistics.
2. The years ending 31 March 2018, 2019 and 2020 exclude the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), who were unable to provide data. MPS promotions data is therefore shown in grey where available.

Further information on the ethnicity and sex of police officer promotions can be found in chapter 5.

3.2 Joiners

In the year ending 31 March 2022, 12,789 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers joined the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales (excluding transfers). This volume of joiners was 662 above levels seen the previous year (a 5.5% increase), and the second highest on record (behind the year ending March 2020 when there were 12,883 joiners).

Most of the increase in joining officers can be attributed to the government pledge to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales by 31 March 2023. Further details on new recruits since the announcement of the recruitment drive can be found in the quarterly ‘Police officer uplift’ statistics.

Figure 3.2: Police officer joiners, years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Joiners Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes those transferring in from other police forces.

Between the years ending 31 March 2010 and 2019, the majority (fluctuating between 60-80% each year) of officer joiners (including transfers) had been new recruits joining for the first time (Figure 3.3). In more recent years, and in line with the police officer uplift programme, the years ending 31 March 2020 to 2022 have seen higher proportions of new recruits, with 85% of officer joiners (including transfers) being standard direct recruits in the most recent year.

Figure 3.3: Police officer joiners (FTE), by route of entry, years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Joiners Open Data Table

3.3 Other worker types

The number of PCSO joiners fell sharply to the year ending March 2011 and has remained at relatively low levels since (Figure 3.4). Excluding transfers, the number of Police staff and designated officer joiners fell by 3.1% in the year ending 31 March 2022 when compared with the previous year. The number of new special constable joiners has steadily declined in recent years and this trend continued in the latest year, which saw a 5.6% decrease in special constables (a fall of 129 headcount).

Figure 3.4: Other police worker joiners, years ending 31 March 2009 to 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Joiners Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes those transferring in from other police forces.

3.4 Leavers

In the year ending 31 March 2022, 8,117 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers left the 43 territorial police forces (excluding transfers) (Figure 3.5), accounting for 6.0% of officers employed by the forces at the start of the year (Figure 3.6).
Compared with the previous year there was an increase of 35% in the number of officers leaving the service (up 2,099 FTE officers from 6,018), and the highest number of police officer leavers since comparable records began (in 2003). This is partly down to the fact that the workforce is growing, and therefore leavers also increase. The leaver rate was 6.0%, similar to levels seen between the financial years ending 2016 and 2020. The previous year saw a dip in leaver rate (4.7%), possibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 3.5: Police officer leavers (excluding transfers), years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Leavers Open Data Table

Figure 3.6: Police officer leaver rate (excluding transfers), years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Leavers Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Leaver rates are calculated by dividing the total number of leavers (excluding transfers) during the financial year by the total number of workers as at 31 March of the previous year.

The number of officers leaving the police, in each of the last five years, is shown in Table 3.1 by reason for departure, and the leaver rates are shown in Table 3.2.

Table 3.1: Police officer leavers, by route of exit, years ending 31 March 2017 to 2022, England and Wales

Year ending 31 March:	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Normal retirement	4,507	4,747	4,492	4,169	3,429	4,134
Voluntary resignation	2,035	1,995	2,175	2,363	1,996	3,433
Transfer	1,093	1,068	1,339	1,405	1,024	1,186
Medical retirement	587	500	514	377	357	303
Contract termination and dismissal	289	211	161	163	169	180
Death	57	51	46	69	67	67

Table 3.2: Police officer leaver rates, by route of exit, years ending 31 March 2017 to 2022, England and Wales

Year ending 31 March:	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Normal retirement	3.6%	3.9%	3.7%	3.4%	2.7%	3.1%
Voluntary resignation	1.6%	1.6%	1.8%	1.9%	1.5%	2.5%
Transfer	0.9%	0.9%	1.1%	1.1%	0.8%	0.9%
Medical retirement	0.5%	0.4%	0.4%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%
Contract termination and dismissal	0.2%	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Death	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	0.0%

In the decade prior to the year ending March 2022, the majority of officers leaving the service (excluding transfers) did so via normal retirement, which has typically accounted for around 60% to 70% of leavers annually (Figure 3.7). In more recent years, there has been a noticeable change in the proportion of officers leaving via normal retirement, with 51% of leavers (excluding transfers) being due to normal retirements in the most recent year. This was driven by an increase in voluntary resignations, up from 1,996 in the year ending March 2021 (33% of leavers) to 3,433 (42% of leavers) in the year ending March 2022.

Figure 3.7: Police officer leavers, by route of exit, years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Leavers Open Data Table

Notes

1. Excludes those transferring out to other police forces.

Further Information on the ethnicity and gender of police joiners and leavers can be found in chapter 5.

3.5 Other worker types

The number of full-time equivalent police staff (including designated officers), and PCSOs leaving the service across the 43 police forces in England and Wales has increased in the latest year (Figure 3.8). The number of police staff and designated officers leavers saw the largest increase of the paid worker types, up by 2,578 FTEs since the year ending 31 March 2021. However, like officer leavers, the year ending March 2021 was a dip in the series for staff leavers, thought to be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 3.8: Other police worker leavers, years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Leavers Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes those transferring out to other police forces.

In the year ending 31 March 2022 of the paid police worker types (i.e. excluding special constables), PCSOs had the highest leaver rate (excluding transfers), at 14.6% (Figure 3.9). This increased when compared with the previous year when the leaver rate for PCSOs was 10.6%, but down on the 16.9% seen in the year ending March 2020. Excluding transfers, police staff and designated officers combined had a leaver rate of 10.9%, a 3.0 percentage point increase on the previous year (when the leaver rate was 7.8%), and similar to the 10.5% seen in the year ending March 2020.

Figure 3.9: Leaver rates by police worker type (excluding transfers)¹, year ending 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Leavers Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Leavers rates are calculated by dividing the total number of leavers (excluding transfers) during the financial year by the total number of workers as at 31 March of the previous year.

3.6 Length of service

Statistics on length of service are designated as ‘Official Statistics’ rather than ‘National Statistics’ due to a number of data quality issues. Some forces have reported problems extracting length of service data from their HR systems. Where officers have transferred from another force, or changed roles within a force, some constabularies record the length of service based on the date the officer started their current role (rather than the date the officer joined the police service). This is likely to skew the data towards shorter service periods and under-record longer periods of service when individuals have moved posts or forces.

While these issues will have less impact on the national picture, they are likely to have more of an effect on further breakdowns of the data, such as by force or rank of officer. While the findings in this section should be considered with caution, they give a reasonable indication of the picture at the national level, but users should be wary of making force comparisons.

This section includes information on the length of service of police officers in England and Wales. Data in the section refer to the situation as at 31 March 2022 and are on a headcount basis.

In the 43 forces in England and Wales, the number of officers with less than 5 years of service, as at 31 March 2022 was 47,370 (headcount), which accounted for 33% of all police officers (where the length of service is known). Breaking this down further, 9% of all officers (12,285 officers) had less than 1 year of service, and a further 7% (10,593) had experience of more than 1 year but less than 2 years. In the year ending March 2021, the number of officers with less than 5 years of service was 42,719 (31% of all police officers) and, of these, 11,694 officers (8% of all police officers) had less than 1 year of service.

Patterns in the length of service data tend to reflect recruitment trends over time. Relatively low levels of recruitment between the years ending 31 March 2011 and 31 March 2013 meant that the number of officers with between 5 years and less than 15 years of service, as at 31 March 2022, were relatively low (Figure 3.10). Over the last few years, as recruitment levels have increased, number and proportion of officers with fewer than 5 years of service has also risen. The accompanying data tables include further breakdowns of individuals with fewer than 5 years of service.

Of all police officers, 12% had been in the service between 10 years and less than 15 years, and a fifth (20%) had been in the service between 15 years and less than 20 years. This spike at 15 years and less than 20 years is likely to be partly a result of a recruitment drive in the early and mid-2000s. In total 911 (or 0.6%) officers had served for 30 years or more. This reflects the fact that most current police officers are entitled to receive a full pension after 30 years of service, leading to many officers retiring at that point.

Figure 3.10: Length of service of police officers, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Table JL5

Notes:

1. Where length of service information is not known, length of service in current police force has been used instead.

4. Frontline and local policing

Key findings

• the number of frontline police officers in England and Wales increased by 3% in the 12 months to 31 March 2022 to reach 117,132, and the proportion of officers employed in frontline roles remained stable, at 91.1% (91.6% as at March 2021)
• police officers employed in local roles increased by 2% in volume in the last 12 months to 63,684
• those working within local policing roles accounted for 49.5% of all officers as at 31 March 2022, a similar proportion to the previous year (at 50.3%)

4.1 Introduction

This chapter provides statistics on the number of police officers employed in frontline policing roles, according to the model set out by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Further details on the model can be found in Annex 4 of HMICFRS’s Value for Money Profiles and the user guide which accompanies this release. This chapter also presents statistics on police officers employed in local policing functions. Statistics presented here are based on which function a police officer spent the majority of their time doing.

4.2 Changes to the police functions framework

Since 2012, the Home Office has published statistics on police officer, police staff and Police and Community Service Officers (PCSO) functions, based upon a set of 60 function categories that had remained unchanged for several years. Following an extensive consultation with police forces, HMICFRS and other key stakeholders, the Home Office replaced this old functions-framework with a framework based on the Police Objective Analysis (POA) categories. These are reviewed annually by the Home Office, HMICFRS and police forces, to ensure that they remain relevant and reflect current policing structures. The change was agreed in order to modernise the data collection, and to align it with the framework used by HMICFRS to collect data on police income, expenditure and funded posts. This change came into effect from 31 March 2015 onwards.

4.3 Comparisons over time

The change of framework means that the police functions data based on the POA framework for 2015 onwards are not directly comparable with data collected under the old framework. Although some functions may appear to be similar between the two, there are often differences in definitions, and so any attempts to compare across the two frameworks should be done with caution. Very few functions are comparable across both frameworks.

In addition to this, the POA categories are reviewed annually, therefore some categories may be added, removed, or amended from one year to the next.

Further details on the police functions framework, along with a full list of the functions included in the old and new frameworks, can be found in the user guide.

4.4 Frontline policing

As stated in section 4.2, the change in police functions framework has resulted in a loss of comparability over time. This is particularly true for the measure of frontline policing, as both the framework and the frontline model that is based on this have changed. This causes difficulties when attempting to make comparisons of frontline policing with previous years.

Further details on the model based on the new POA functions framework can be found in Annex 4 of HMICFRS’s Value for Money Profiles. One of the most significant changes was that National Policing functions, including Counter Terrorism/Special Branch roles, were excluded from the model entirely. Many of these were previously classed as frontline roles.

To provide a back series on frontline policing, the Home Office collected data from the police under both the old and the new frameworks in March 2015. This means data can be adjusted for previous years to create a longer time series. Estimates have been made at a Police Force Area level, which in turn has allowed the national England and Wales figure to be estimated. Further information on the method used to estimate the back series can be found in the user guide.

Figure 4.1 shows the difference between the old frontline measure and the estimated back series of the new measure for the proportion of frontline police officers. At the national level, the proportion of police officers in frontline policing roles was 1.8 percentage points higher as at 31 March 2015 under the new POA framework compared with the old framework.

Figure 4.1: Proportion of frontline police officers, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022¹

Source: Home Office, Table F5

Notes:

1. Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS’s) frontline policing model. Further details on the frontline policing model based on the old functions framework can be found in HMICFRS’s Policing in Austerity: Meeting the Challenge report. Further details on the model based on the new POA functions framework can be found in Annex 4 of HMICFRS’s Value for Money Profiles. Both models exclude police officers recorded under the ‘other’ function category. The ‘other’ function category includes police officers on maternity/paternity leave, career break, full-time education or on suspension; and those on long-term leave (sickness, compassionate special or unpaid).

Figure 4.2 shows the trend in the number of police officers employed in frontline policing roles as at 31 March, in each year from 2010 to 2022. Figures from 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2014 have been estimated as described above. The underlying figures are presented in the main data tables, along with the number and proportion of police officers employed in frontline support and business support roles as at 31 March in each year from 2010 to 2022.

As at 31 March 2022, there were 117,132 police officers employed in frontline policing roles, an increase of 3,488 officers (or 3%) compared with the previous year. The proportion of officers employed in frontline roles was 91.1%, a similar proportion to last year (91.6%).

Figure 4.2: Number of full-time equivalent frontline¹ police officers, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022²

Source: Home Office, Table F5

1. Visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline have been added together to give an overall frontline total.

2. Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS’s) frontline policing model. Figures for March 2010 to March 2014 have been estimated based on data for a parallel running year (March 2015) where data was collected using both functions frameworks. Further details on these estimates can be found in the user guide.

Table 4.1: Number of full-time equivalent police officers employed in frontline¹, frontline support² and business support roles, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2011 to 31 March 2022³

As at:	Frontline	Frontline support	Business support
31-Mar-11	119,729	6,469	4,912
31-Mar-12	116,122	5,971	4,161
31-Mar-13	113,009	5,215	3,762
31-Mar-14	111,383	4,706	3,309
31-Mar-15	110,853	4,324	3,528
31-Mar-16	106,411	4,087	3,401
31-Mar-17	105,502	4,114	3,471
31-Mar-18	103,837	4,348	4,428
31-Mar-19	103,347	4,176	4,645
31-Mar-20	108,856	4,140	4,846
31-Mar-21	113,645	4,677	5,749
31-Mar-22	117,132	5,478	5,989

Source: Home Office, Table F6

Notes:

1. Visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline have been added together to give an overall frontline total.

2. Frontline support was previously named operational support under the old framework.

3. Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS’s) frontline policing model and police officer functions data in the main data tables. Figures for March 2010 and March 2014 have been estimated based on data for a parallel running year (March 2015) where data was collected using both functions frameworks. Further details on these estimates can be found in the user guide.

Table 4.2: Proportion of full-time equivalent police officers employed in frontline¹, frontline support² and business support roles, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022³

As at:	Frontline	Frontline support	Business support
31-Mar-11	91.3	4.9	3.7
31-Mar-12	92.0	4.7	3.3
31-Mar-13	92.6	4.3	3.1
31-Mar-14	93.3	3.9	2.8
31-Mar-15	93.4	3.6	3.0
31-Mar-16	93.4	3.6	3.0
31-Mar-17	93.3	3.6	3.1
31-Mar-18	92.2	3.9	3.9
31-Mar-19	92.1	3.7	4.1
31-Mar-20	92.4	3.5	4.1
31-Mar-21	91.6	3.8	4.6
31-Mar-22	91.1	4.3	4.7

Source: Home Office, Table F6

1. Visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline have been added together to give an overall frontline total.

2. Frontline support was previously named operational support under the old framework.

3. Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS’s) frontline policing model and police officer functions data in the main data tables. Figures for March 2010 and March 2014 have been estimated based on data for a parallel running year (March 2015) where data was collected using both functions frameworks. Further details on these estimates can be found in the user guide.

4.5 Local policing

Under the POA functions framework outlined in section 4.2, each individual police function is categorised into a broader group, one of which is ‘local policing’. This is defined as police officers/staff whose primary role involves at least one of the following:

• neighbourhood policing
• incident (response) management
• specialist community liaison
• working within the local policing command team

Full details on the definitions of each function can be found in Table F4 of the accompanying data tables.

There were 63,684 police officers employed within local policing functions as at 31 March 2022, an increase of 1,331 officers (2.1%) compared with a year earlier. This was the fourth consecutive annual increase in local policing numbers following a downward trend in previous years. Those working within local policing roles accounted for 49.5% of all officers as at 31 March 2022 (excluding ‘Other’ and ‘National Policing’ functions), a similar proportion to twelve months prior (50.3%). This recent increase in local policing numbers therefore reflects an increase in all police officers in the year to 31 March 2022 across England and Wales.

Table 4.3: Number and proportion of full-time equivalent police officers in local policing roles, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2018 to 31 March 2022¹

As at:	Number	Proportion (%)
31-Mar-18	53,822	47.8
31-Mar-19	54,158	48.3
31-Mar-20	59,176	50.2
31-Mar-21	62,353	50.3
31-Mar-22	63,586	49.5

Source: Home Office, Table F1

Notes:

1. The proportions have been calculated excluding police officers recorded under the ‘Other’ function category and ‘National Policing’ functions. The ‘Other’ category includes police officers on maternity/paternity leave, career break, full-time education or on suspension; and those on long-term leave (sickness, compassionate special or unpaid).

4.6 Police functions by ethnicity

Each individual police function is categorised into a broader group, such as local policing, road policing and national policing, for example, according to the POA framework outlined in section 4.2.

Within these groups, data is collected on the ethnicity of the officer and proportions in this section are calculated by excluding cases where the ethnicity of the officer was not known.

As at 31 March 2022, those identifying as White accounted for 91.9% of all officers and 8.1% of officers identified as belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities). Twelve months earlier these figures were 92.4% and 7.6% respectively.

Some function groups were more ethnically diverse than others, just 4.0% of officers working in ‘Road Policing’ identified as an ethnic minority (excluding white minorities), the least ethnically diverse function group. ‘National Policing’ was the most ethnically diverse function group, where 10.2% of officers identified as an ethnic minority (excluding white minorities). Figure 4.3 shows the ethnic split across each policing function group.

Figure 4.3: Proportion of police officers, by ethnic group and function, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Table F7

Notes:

1. Proportions exclude cases where the ethnicity of the officer is ‘not stated’.

5. Diversity

Key findings

• at 31 March 2022, White officers made up 91.9% of the workforce
• there were 11,053 full-time equivalent officers from minority ethnic groups (excluding white minorities), making up 8.1% of the workforce, compared with 7.6% last year
• there has been a gradual upward trend in the proportion of officers who identify as an ethnic minority (excluding white minority) since 2010
• Black officers made up 1.3% of the total workforce, Asian officers 3.7%, and those identifying as a Mixed ethnic group or another ethnic group 3.1%
• under-representation of minority ethnic officers (excluding white minorities) was higher among Senior ranks (i.e. Chief Inspector or above) compared with constables and other ranks - for example, 5.5% of officers of rank Chief Inspector or above identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), compared with 8.7% of constables
• there were 46,955 female police officers in the 43 police forces on 31 March 2022, making up 33.5% of police officers in England and Wales (up one percentage point from 32.4% last year)

5.1 Introduction and changes to data collection on diversity

This chapter presents statistics on the diversity of the police workforce, focusing specifically on the ethnicity, sex (and gender where sex data are unavailable), and age of the workforce. It also presents information on the ethnicity and sex of promoted officers, joiners and leavers.

As part of the initiative to improve data on the police workforce and to align the monthly data collected for the police uplift programme with these statistics, a number of changes have been made to the data collection template, particularly around the collection of data on protected characteristics.

The Home Office, the NPCC and the College of Policing have been collaborating in developing a National Standard for Workforce Data. These Data Standards draw on existing harmonised standards set out by the Government Statistical Service and aim to bring more standardisation within policing for the collection of data on protected characteristics (and some other demographic information). The variables currently covered by the Standards are: Ethnicity, Age, Religion or Belief, Disability, Sexual orientation, Gender, Sex, and Gender Reassignment.

Information on their protected characteristics is self-reported by officers on police force HR systems. Recent changes to police force HR systems to align with the new Data Standards have allowed all staff the opportunity to review existing records and declare further information on protected characteristics. However, many officers are yet to update their profiles and, as such, data are not currently complete.

Since data on age, sex and ethnicity have been collected for longer, the data are more complete and reliable, so this chapter focusses on these protected characteristics only. Statistics are included in an annex to this publication series for the first time to provide information on the proportion of officers broken down by sexual orientation, religious beliefs and disability status.

There are still some comparability issues to be aware of. Previously, data collected and presented in this bulletin referred to the sex of the officer only, limited to male or female as requested from police forces by HMRC. The implementation of the Data Standards requested additional information on gender. For some forces, this change has led to a large proportion of officers with an “unknown” gender or “unknown” sex. While the expectation is that this will improve in future years, a hybrid approach has been taken in this bulletin to account for cases with an “unknown” sex recorded. Where sex data was not available, analysts have instead used data recorded on gender.

Furthermore, data on ethnicity are now collected using the updated ONS 2011 Census classifications, meaning that Chinese officers are now counted in the wider “Asian” ethnic group, where they had previously been counted under “Chinese and Other”. While this change makes direct comparisons to previous years for the Asian and Other ethnic groups more difficult, the published police officer uplift data shows that as at 30 June 2022 Chinese officers made up just 0.2% of all officers (294 out of 142,759 officers), so the impact of this change is minimal.

The Home Office and NPCC continue to work with police forces to improve the quality of data collected on protected characteristics.

5.2 Police officers: Ethnicity

As at 31 March 2022, there were 11,053 full-time equivalent (FTEs) officers who identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) in the 43 territorial forces in England and Wales, an increase of 1,007 (10.0%) compared with a year earlier. Officers belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities) represented 8.1% of all officers who stated their ethnicity, a small increase from 7.6% in the previous year. There has been a gradual upward trend in the proportion of officers who identify as an ethnic minority (excluding white minority) since 2010 (Figure 5.1), which is a result of leavers from the police service predominantly identifying as White, and also new recruits being from a more diverse background than their predecessors. However, the proportion of officers belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities) remains considerably lower than the 14% of the population in England and Wales who identified as such as the 2011 Census^{[footnote 2]}.

Figure 5.1: Proportion of police officers who identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Ethnicity Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes those who did not state their ethnicity.

Of the 43 forces, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) had the most ethnically diverse distribution of officers, with 16.7% identifying as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities). However, this was still well below the proportion of people resident in the Capital who identified as belonging to these groups (40%) according to the 2011 Census.

The second highest proportion of ethnic minority (excluding white minority) officers was in the West Midlands Police, where 13.6% of officers who stated their ethnicity identified themselves as such (compared with 30% of the local population). This force was closely followed by Bedfordshire Police where 10.3% of police officers identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities compared with 23% of the local population). Police forces covering more rural areas (such as Cumbria, Durham, and North Wales Police) had a less ethnically diverse workforce (around 99% of officers identify as White in these forces) and reflecting their resident population within those areas.

As in previous years, levels of under-representation were higher among Senior ranks (i.e., Chief Inspector or above) compared with constables and other ranks. For example, 5.5% of officers of rank Chief Inspector or above identified as belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities), compared with 8.7% of constables (Figure 5.2). This is likely to partly reflect a more ethnically diverse cohort of joiners in recent years, many of whom will have joined at constable level.

Figure 5.2: Proportion of police officers who identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), by rank, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Ethnicity Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes those who did not state their ethnicity.

Of the 11,053 officers identifying as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), 5,002 (3.7%) classified themselves as Asian or Asian British, 3,382 (2.5%) as Mixed, 1,778 (1.3%) as Black or Black British, and 892 (0.7%) as the “Other” ethnic group. While direct comparisons for the Asian and Other ethnic group cannot be made (due to a change in the ONS ethnicity framework where those identifying as Chinese were previously included within “Other” and now included in the wider “Asian” group), these proportions have remained relatively stable over recent years.

Figure 5.3: Composition of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic officers, by ethnic group, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Table D2

5.3 Police officer promotions

Following the implementation of a new HR system in 2018, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) were unable to provide data on promotions for the years ending 2018, 2019 and 2020. However, since the year ending March 2021, data has been available for all forces.

Of the 4,272 police officers promoted the year ending March 2022, 4,183 (98%) indicated their ethnicity. Of these, 396, or 9.5%, identified themselves as belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities). In comparison, in the year ending March 2021, 213 officers from a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities) were promoted, accounting for 6.5% of all promoted officers.

Figure 5.4: Proportion of promotions where the officer promoted identified as minority ethnic (excluding white minorities), years ending 31 March 2010 to 2022, England and Wales (excluding MPS)^1,2

Source: Home Office, Promotions Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Data are on a headcount basis and exclude cases where the ethnicity of the officer promoted is unknown.

2. Excludes the Metropolitan Police Service for the years ending 31 March 2018, 2019 and 2020 who were unable to provide data.

5.4 Police officer joiners: Ethnicity

Excluding transfers, 12,789 full-time equivalent police officers joined the 43 police forces in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022, and 12,443 (97%) stated their ethnicity. Of these, 1,542, or 12.4% identified themselves as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), a slight increase on the previous year (10.6%).

The police forces with the largest proportion of joiners (excluding transfers) identifying as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), were the City of London Police (32.3%), the Metropolitan Police Service (23.8%) and West Midlands Police (23.7%). West Yorkshire Police also had a more ethnically diverse cohort of joiners than other forces, where 20.4% of new joiners identified as belonging to an ethnic minority (excluding white minority).

5.5 Police officer leavers: Ethnicity

In the year ending March 2022, and excluding transfers, 7,915 of the 8,117 (98%) officers who left the 43 police forces in England and Wales stated their ethnicity. Of these, 620, or 7.8%, identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities).

There was a higher rate of normal retirements amongst White officers, which was likely to reflect the differing age profiles of different ethnic groups within the police. For example, due to historically low levels of ethnically diverse recruitment, older officers were more likely to be White, meaning fewer officers from minority ethnic groups are likely to have yet reached retirement age. Rates of voluntary resignations and dismissals (which also included cases where a contract was terminated for reasons other than misconduct) were both higher amongst officers who identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) (Figure 5.5).

Figure 5.5: Number of officers leaving by each exit route per thousand officers, by ethnicity, year ending 31 March 2021 England and Wales^1,2,3

Source: Home Office, Leavers Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes cases where the ethnicity of the leaving officer is unknown.

2. Leaving rates are calculated as the number of officers leaving via that route in the latest year, as a proportion of officers employed by the forces as at 31 March 2021, per thousand officers.

5.6 Police staff, PCSOs, designated officers, special constables, and police support volunteers: Ethnicity

The proportion of workers in other areas of the workforce belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities) was higher than for police officers (Figure 5.6). As in recent years, the Special Constabulary was the most ethnically diverse part of the police workforce as at 31 March 2022, with 1,028 of the 7,967 special constables who stated their ethnicity identifying as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) (12.9% compared with 14.0% of the resident population), closely followed by Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) (11.1%).

Figure 5.6: Ethnic breakdown of the police workforce, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Ethnicity Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes those who did not state their ethnicity.

5.7 Police officers: sex

As discussed at the start of this chapter, due to the implementation of the Police Workforce Data Standards and the subsequent expansion in the data requested from police forces from the year ending March 2021, there are some data quality issues to be aware of when referring to the sex or gender of officers.

Prior to 2021, data collected and presented in this bulletin referred to the sex of the officer only, limited to male or female as requested from police forces by HMRC. The implementation of the Data Standards requested additional information on gender identity (see the user guide for more details). For some forces, this change led to a large proportion of officers with an “unknown” gender or “unknown” sex, since officers have not yet got round to reviewing their HR profiles. While the expectation is that this will improve in future years, a hybrid approach has been taken in this bulletin to account for cases with an “unknown” sex recorded. Where sex data are not available, analysts have instead used data on gender instead.

Based on this hybrid approach, there were 46,959 female police officers in the 43 police forces on 31 March 2022, making up 33.5% of police officers in England and Wales, up slightly from 32.4% last year. The number of female officers increased by 3,197 (7.3%) compared with a year earlier.

As in previous years, of the 43 forces, Cumbria had the highest proportion of female police officers (41.4%), followed by North Wales (38.3%). The City of London Police had the smallest proportion of female officers (23.2%) followed by the MPS (29.9%), and Cleveland Police (30.3%).

Figure 5.7: Proportion of female police officers, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Workforce Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes cases where sex of the officer is unknown.

Female officers were more commonly found in constable ranks, which reflected the increasing diversity of the workforce in recent years, with most new joiners coming in at constable level (Figure 5.8).

Figure 5.8: Proportion of female police officers, by rank, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Workforce Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes cases where sex of the officer is unknown.

5.8 Police officer promotions by sex

Of the 4,272 police officers promoted in the 43 police forces in the year ending March 2022, 1,334 were female, which accounted for 31.2% of all officers promoted. This figure is down from 981 (29.4% of all promotions) in the previous year.

5.9 Police officer joiners and leavers by sex

Excluding transfers, of the 12,789 full-time equivalent police officers that joined the 43 police forces in the year to March 2022, 42.4% (5,424 FTE) identified as female, similar to the previous year when females accounted for 41.8% (5,067 FTE) of all joiners. Between the year ending March 2010 and the year ending March 2020 the proportion of female joiners varied between 30% and 37%. The latest year saw the largest proportion of female joiners on record.

The proportion of female joiners (42.4%) was also higher than the proportion of current officers that were female (33.5%). This showed a continued rising trend in the proportion of all officers that were female.

Of the 8,117 officer leavers (excluding transfers) during the year to March 2022, 2,382 (29.3%) were female, compared with 27.4% in the previous year. Most female officers left either via voluntary resignation (52.5% of all female leavers (excluding transfers), compared with 38.1% of all male leavers) or normal retirements (41.7% of all females leavers (excluding transfers), compared with 54.8% of all male leavers) in the year ending March 2022.

5.10 Police staff, PCSOs, designated officers, special constables, and police support volunteers: Sex

As at 31 March 2022, females made up 61.7% of police staff and designated officers in the 43 forces in England and Wales, and 47.1% of PCSOs. The proportion of females in the Special Constabulary was the lowest across all worker types, with 28.2% of specials being female.

Figure 5.9: Police workforce by sex, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Workforce Open Data Table

5.11 Police officers: Age

As at 31 March 2022, over half (57%) of all police officers were aged 40 or under, with 11% of all officers aged 25 and under. As expected, the age profile varied by rank, with a large proportion of older officers in more senior ranks; for example, while just 4 Chief Officers (1.7%) were aged under 40, 64% of constables were.

Figure 5.10: Age breakdown¹ of police officers, by rank, as at 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office, Table D5

Notes:

1. Excludes cases where the age of the officer is unknown.

5.12 Police staff, PCSOs, designated officers and special constables: Age

Figure 5.11 shows the variation in the age profile of the police workforce. As expected, civilian staff tended to be older than other worker types, with 23% of staff and designated officers over the age of 55, compared with just 2% of officers. In contrast, the Special Constabulary had a younger profile than the paid ranks, with 27% of special constables aged under 26. This was much higher than the next nearest worker type (PCSOs at 13%).

Figure 5.11: Age breakdown of police workers, by worker type, as at 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office, Age Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Excludes cases where the age of the worker is unknown.

6. Officer Wellbeing

Key findings

• as at 31 March 2022, there were 4,655 FTE officers on long-term absence in the 43 forces in England and Wales (equivalent to 3.3% of all officers) – similar to the rate of 3.0% in the previous year
• of these, 2,458 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers were on long-term sick leave, which is equivalent to 1.8% of police officers in England and Wales (compared with 1.5% in the previous year)
• excluding Cheshire (who could not provide data), as at 31 March 2022, there were 6,391 police officers (headcount) on recuperative duties, equivalent to 4.6% of officers. There were also a further 6,661 officers on adjusted or restricted duties, equivalent to a further 4.7% of officers in these forces

6.1 Introduction

This chapter provides information on the number of officers on long-term sick leave, and the number on recuperative and adjusted or restricted duties as at 31 March of each year. Definitions of recuperative, restricted and adjusted duties, as well as information on long-term sickness, are provided in the relevant sections below.

6.2 Long-term absence

This section presents data on long-term absence due to career breaks, maternity/paternity leave, sick leave and suspension. More detailed information on absences due to long-term sickness is covered in section 6.3. Long-term absence is any absence that has lasted for more than 28 calendar days, as at the end of the reporting period (31 March 2022).

As at 31 March 2022, there were 4,655 FTE officers on long-term absence (including long-term sickness) in the 43 forces in England and Wales. This equates to 3.3% of all officers in post, compared with 3.0% last year.

Of officers on long-term absence, 2,458 (53%) were on sick leave, 1,250 (27%) were on maternity or paternity leave, and 707 (15%) were on career breaks. The remaining 5% were either suspended, or on ‘other leave’ (which includes compassionate leave, study leave and special leave).

Figure 6.1: Number of officers (FTE) on long-term absence broken down by absence type and sex, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office, Absence Open Data Table

Notes:

1. In order for sickness to be classed as long-term, an officer must be absent for more than 28 calendar days.

Although females accounted for 33% of police officers in England and Wales, they accounted for 56% of all long-term absentees as at 31 March 2022. However, excluding maternity or paternity leave, females accounted for 40% of all absences. Although females accounted for a disproportionate amount for many of the absence types (relative to the breakdown by sex of police officers), maternity or paternity leave, and career breaks were, as expected, the two categories in which females accounted for the majority of absences.

Table 6.1: Proportion of long-term absence by sex, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Absence type	Proportion Male	Proportion Female
Career break	45.3%	54.7%
Sick leave	61.2%	38.8%
Maternity or Paternity leave	1.8%	98.2%
Other1	51.9%	48.1%
Suspended	91.2%	8.8%
All long-term absence (excluding Maternity and Paternity)	59.7%	40.3%
All long-term absence	44.2%	55.8%
All police officers	66.5%	33.5%

Source: Home Office, Absence Open Data Table

Notes:

1. Other leave includes compassionate leave, study leave and special leave.

6.3 Sickness

This section contains information on the number of police officers (FTE) on long-term sick leave, as at 31 March each year. Long-term sickness includes any recognised medical condition, physical or psychological, as reported by the officer or a medical practitioner, which has lasted for more than 28 calendar days.

As at 31 March 2022, there were 2,458 full-time equivalent police officers on long-term sick leave in the 43 forces in England and Wales, an increase of 493 officers (FTE) when compared with the previous year.

As a proportion of all officers in the 43 forces in England and Wales, 1.8% of police officers were on long-term sick leave as at 31 March 2022, compared with 1.5% last year.

Figure 6.2: Number of officers (FTE) on long-term sick leave, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Table W1

Notes:

1. In order for sickness to be classed as long-term, an officer must be absent for more than 28 calendar days.

6.4 Sickness by rank

There was some variation in sickness levels across ranks, with officers at higher ranks generally having lower levels of sickness; 1.9% of constables were on long-term sick leave, compared with 0.8% of officers of Superintendent rank or above.

Increases in sickness levels compared with the previous year were seen across each rank except for Chief Officer and Chief Superintendent (where there were very low levels of long-term sickness).

Table 6.2: Proportion of officers (FTE) on long-term sick leave, by rank, as at 31 March 2022, England and Wales

Rank	Proportion on long-term sick leave - 31 Mar 2021	Proportion on long-term sick leave - 31 Mar 2022
Constable	1.6%	1.9%
Sergeant	1.1%	1.5%
Inspector	1.0%	1.3%
Chief Inspector	1.0%	1.2%
Superintendent or above	0.7%	0.8%

Source: Home Office, Absence Open Data Table

Sickness rates have been consistently higher among females than males with 2.0% of female officers on long-term sick leave, compared with 1.6% of male officers as at 31 March 2022.

6.5 Recuperative and adjusted or restricted duties

This section contains information on the number of officers on recuperative and adjusted or restricted duties as at the 31 March 2022, broken down by sex. Data in the section are based on officer headcount (rather than full time equivalents).

On 1 May 2015, reforms came into effect that meant forces were required to re-categorise officers who were not fully deployable. This saw the replacement of the previous categories (which were used in different ways by different forces) with the more precise category of ‘limited duties’. This includes three sub-categories of ‘adjusted’, ‘recuperative’ and ‘management restricted’ duties’ (data on management restricted duties are not collected by the Home Office). The transition to this new framework has taken place on different timescales across forces, and as a result, 2018 data will include officers categorised under a mixture of the old and new definitions (i.e. those officers previously categorised as ‘restricted’ on medical grounds and those newly categorised as being on ‘adjusted’ duties). In future years, it is likely that the data will more closely reflect the new categories, as forces complete their transition to these.

Definitions of recuperative, adjusted, and management restricted duties are provided below.

Adjusted duty: Duties falling short of full deployment, in respect of which workplace adjustments (including reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010) have been made to overcome barriers to working. For an officer to be placed on adjusted duties, they must be attending work on a regular basis and be working for the full number of hours for which they are paid (in either a full time or part time substantive role).

Recuperative duty: Duties falling short of full deployment, undertaken by a police officer following an injury, accident, illness or medical incident, during which the officer adapts to and prepares for a return to full duties and the full hours for which they are paid, and is assessed to determine whether he or she is capable of making such a return.

Management restricted duty: Duties falling short of full deployment to which an officer is allocated in circumstances in which: verifiable confidential or source sensitive information or intelligence has come to the notice of the force that questions the suitability of an officer to continue in his or her current post; or serious concerns are raised which require management actions, both for the protection of individuals and the organisation. In either case also that: criminal or misconduct proceedings are not warranted; and the Chief Constable has lost confidence in the officer continuing in their current role.

Excluding Cheshire (who could not provide data), as at 31 March 2022, there were 6,391 police officers (headcount) on recuperative duties, equivalent to 4.6% of officers. There were also a further 6,661 officers on adjusted or restricted duties, equivalent to a further 4.7% of officers in these forces.

Of female officers in the 42 police forces in England and Wales (excluding Cheshire), 5.9% were on recuperative duties and 6.7% were on adjusted or restricted duties as at 31 March 2022. This was higher than the proportion of males on recuperative and adjusted or restricted duties, which were each 3.9% and 3.7% respectively.

6.6 Additional data

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) publishes a range of data in their annual Value for Money Profiles. This includes data on short and medium-term sickness, as well as recuperative and adjusted or restricted duties.

Data on short and medium-term sickness are considered to be less robust than long-term sickness and should be interpreted with caution. Short and medium-term sickness is more likely to fluctuate from one year to the next and can be more prone to variation in the accuracy of recording between forces.

Annex A: Additional analysis of police officer numbers by protected characteristics

The Home Office, the NPCC and the College of Policing have been collaborating in developing National Standards for Workforce Data. These data standards draw on existing harmonised standards set out by the Government Statistical Service and aim to bring more standardisation within policing for the collection of data on protected characteristics (and some other demographic information). The variables currently covered by the Standards are: Ethnicity, Age, Religion or Belief, Disability, Sexual orientation, Gender, Sex, and Gender Reassignment. A full breakdown of the standards can be found in the user guide.

Information on their protected characteristics is self-reported by officers on police force HR systems. Recent changes to police force HR systems to align with the new data standards have allowed all staff the opportunity to review existing records and declare further information on protected characteristics. However, many officers are yet to update their HR records and, as such, data are not currently complete.

This annex includes information on the proportion of officers broken down by disability status, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs. Whilst relatively high proportions of officers had not recorded their disability status, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs (47.3%, 41.7% and 39.9% respectively as at 31 March 2022), the NPCC is working with police forces to encourage all staff to enter this information. We therefore expect the proportion of unknown to decrease in future releases.

Table A1: Police officers by disability status, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2022

	% of all officers (headcount)
Known	51.4%
of which: Yes	8.3%
of which: No	91.7%
Prefer not to say	1.3%
Unknown	47.3%

Table A2: Police officers by sexual orientation, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2022

	% of all officers (headcount)
Known	52.4%
of which: Heterosexual/Straight	92.5%
of which: Gay/Lesbian	4.7%
of which: Bisexual	2.5%
of which: Prefer to Self-Describe	0.2%
Prefer not to say	5.8%
Unknown	41.7%

Table A3: Police officers by religious beliefs, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2022

	% of all officers (headcount)
Known	55.5%
of which: Christian	48.3%
of which: Muslim	2.1%
of which: Sikh	0.7%
of which: Hindu	0.5%
of which: Buddhist	0.4%
of which: Jewish	0.3%
of which: Any other religion or belief	5.3%
of which: No Religion	42.4%
Prefer not to say	5.2%
Unknown	39.3%

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. Some forces are unable to distinguish designated officers from police staff, therefore, they have been combined to better reflect the situation across all forces. These workers can be separately identified in the Open Data Tables. ↩

2. Population data from the 2011 Census, based on whole population. Data available on the ONS website. ↩