Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2023 (second edition)

Question 1

1.  Introduction

Accepted Answer

1.1 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 2023. 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 2023’ data tables.

1.2 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 3.7.

1.3 Corrections to this bulletin

Following the first publication of this release in July 2023, an issue was identified in the code used to produce the data on the number of police officers on recuperative and adjusted duties. Although this field should only include police officers, some forces had provided this information for other worker types and the code did not filter these out. This affected 5 police forces (Cheshire, City of London, Greater Manchester, Metropolitan Police Service and West Mercia) who had submitted data for other worker types in addition to police officers. Relevant sections of chapter 6 have been updated to cover data for police officers only, as has the accompanying data table (table W3). A summary of the updates are shown in table 1.1 and 1.2.

Table 1.1: Updates made to recuperative duties data since first publication

Force	First publication	Corrected data	Difference	Percentage (%) difference
Cheshire	111	110	-1	-0.9
City of London	56	55	-1	-1.8
Greater Manchester	150	146	-4	-2.7
Metropolitan Police Service	931	724	-207	-22.2
West Mercia	146	132	-14	-9.6
England and Wales total	5,665	5,438	-227	-4.0

Table 1.2: Updates made to adjusted duties data since first publication

Force	First publication	Corrected data	Difference	Percentage (%) difference
City of London	36	35	-1	-2.8
Greater Manchester	639	637	-2	-0.3
Metropolitan Police Service	3,269	3,257	-12	-0.4
England and Wales total	7,630	7,615	-15	-0.2

Question 2

2.  Headline workforce figures

Accepted Answer

Key findings

as at 31 March 2023 there were 233,832 FTE police workers (including officers, staff, designated officers and PCSOs) employed by the 43 territorial forces in England and Wales, an increase of 3.8% on the previous year
this is not the highest number of paid police workers on record in England and Wales and is 10,665 FTE less than the previous peak of 244,497 FTE paid police workers in March 2010
as at 31 March 2023, there were 147,430 (FTE) officers in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, a 5.1% increase from 140,228 officers the previous year
this is the highest number of police officers since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003), at 3661 FTEs (2.5%) higher than the previous peak of 143,769 FTE police officers in March 2009
following the government’s pledge in 2019 to recruit an additional 20,000 officers by March 2023, there has been a 19.7% increase in the number of police officers, up from 123,189 FTE as at 31 March 2019
in addition, there were 5,900 FTE National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in England and Wales^{[footnote 2]} and a further 2,973 FTE police officers employed by the British Transport Police in England and Wales

2.1 Total police workforce

As at 31 March 2023, there were 233,832 FTE workers (including officers, staff, designated officers and PCSOs) employed by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales (table 2.1), an increase of 8,603 FTE, or 3.8%, compared with a year earlier (when there were 225,229 workers).

Table 2.1: Police workforce, as at 31 March 2023, England and Wales^1,2

Rank	2022	2023	Change (number)	Percentage change (%)
Chief officer	243	237	-6	-2.4
Superintendent (includes chiefs)	1,350	1,413	+63	+4.7
Chief inspector	2,010	2,033	+23	+1.1
Inspector	6,245	6,611	+365	+5.9
Sergeant	20,332	21,216	+884	+4.3
Constable	110,048	115,920	+5,872	+5.3
Total police officer ranks	140,228	147,430	+7,201	+5.1
Police staff and designated officers	76,250	78,596	+2,346	+3.1
Police community support officers	8,750	7,806	-944	-10.8
Total police workforce	225,229	233,832	+8,603	+3.8
Special constabulary	8,545	6,841	-1,704	-19.9
Police support volunteers	7,981	7,322	-659	-8.3

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: workforce open data table

Notes:

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).
Special constables and police support volunteers do not have contracted working hours, so their numbers are provided on a headcount rather than FTE basis.

There were increases in all police officer ranks with the exception of chief officers. Amongst the other paid worker types, the number of police staff (including designated officers) increased (by 3.1%), and the number of PCSOs decreased (by 10.8%) 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 7,201 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 in the wider policing sector, such 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 6 years the previous downward trend has reversed, and the latest figures show the total police workforce (all officer and staff types) has increased by 3.8% compared with the previous year. However, while officer numbers have peaked to the highest on record, the total workforce is down 4.4% on the previous peak of 244,497 in March 2010.

Figure 2.1: Police workforce, by worker type, as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table H3

In addition to the 233,832 paid police workers, there were 6,841 special constables (headcount) and 7,322 police support volunteers (PSVs) in the 43 police forces in England and Wales as at 31 March 2023. 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 147,430 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in the 43 police forces as at 31 March 2023 (149,566 in headcount terms). This is the highest number of officers, on both a full-time equivalent and headcount basis, since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003) and is 3,661 FTEs (2.5%) higher than the previous peak of 143,769 FTE in March 2009.

While not included in the headline figures, the British Transport Police employed 2,973 FTE police officers in England and Wales, a small increase of 0.4% compared to the previous year (up by 13 FTE). The British Transport Police did not form part of the government’s pledge to recruit an additional 20,000 officers (see below).

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. Statistics on the final uplift position, as well as the methodology for counting additional officers, is published separately in the ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical series.

Figure 2.2 shows the number of police officers in the 43 territorial forces increased by 7,201 FTE (5.1%) compared with a year earlier, the fifth consecutive annual increase after a previous downward trend since 2009. In headcount terms, this equated to an increase of 7,061, or 5%, as at 31 March 2023 compared to the previous year (from 142,505 to 149,566).

Figure 2.2: Change in the number of police officers (FTE), as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2023, compared with the previous 12 months, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; 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 2017, there has been an upward trend in the number of police staff and designated officers to 78,596 in the latest year, an increase of 2,346 FTE (3.1%) compared to the year ending March 2022 (when there was 76,250 staff and designated officers). Excluding volunteers (special constables and police support volunteers), the largest fall in the paid workforce was seen in PCSOs, which fell by 10.8% (944 FTE) compared to the previous year (from 8,750 to 7,806). This may be partly down to PCSOs joining as police officers as part of the recruitment drive.

Figure 2.3 Police staff and designated officers, police community support officers, and special constables, 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table H3

Question 3

3.  Promotions, joiners and leavers

Accepted Answer

Key findings

In the year ending 31 March 2023:

16,328 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers joined the 43 police forces in England and Wales (excluding transfers), an increase of 3,539 FTE (or 27.7%) on the previous year
this is the highest number of police officer joiners in a financial year since records began in the year ending March 2003 and 3,444 FTE (26.7%) greater than the previous peak in the year ending March 2020, when there were 12,883 FTE joiners (excluding transfers) (excluding transfers)
9,192 FTE police officers left the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales (excluding transfers), an increase of 1,075 FTE (or 13.2%) on the previous year
the volume of leavers is the highest number of leavers in a financial year since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003), and reflects a growing workforce as well as a younger-in-service profile
the leaver rate (leavers as a proportion of those at the start of the year), which takes into account the size of the workforce, was 6.6%, the highest leaver rate since comparable records began
4,351 police officers (headcount) received a promotion in 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023, accounting for 3.1% of all officers in post at the start of the previous year, an increase of 1.8% in the number police officer promotions compared with the year ending 31 March 2022 (4,272)

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presents statistics on the number of promotions (section 3.2), joiners (section 3.3 and section 3.4) and leavers (section 3.5 and section 3.6) in the police, as well as information on the length of service of current police officers (section 3.7).

Data on promotions is based on the number of officers promoted during the financial year and is on a headcount basis. Data is 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 is based on the number of workers who joined and left the force during the financial year and is based on full-time equivalents (FTEs). Joiner rates are calculated by dividing the number of FTE joiners during the financial year by the total number of FTE workers as at the end of the year (that is, 31 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 FTE leavers during the financial year by the total number of FTE workers at the end of the previous year (that is, 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 (that is, 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 (for example, 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 (for example, 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.

3.2 Promotions

In the year ending 31 March 2023, 4,351 police officers (headcount) received a promotion in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. This was an increase of 1.8% in the number police officer promotions compared with the year ending 31 March 2022 (4,272).

The rate of promotions, in the year ending March 2023, saw 3.1% of all officers in post at the start of the previous year (March 2022) receive a promotion in the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. The same rate as the previous year, which also saw 3.1% of all officers in post at the start of the previous year (March 2021) receive a promotion.

As in previous years, most promotions were seen at lower ranks, where the volume of workers is greater, such as constables promoted to sergeants (accounting for 61% of all promotions), and fewer promotions were seen in higher ranks, such as chief superintendents promoted to chief officers (accounting for just 0.5% all off promotions). 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 2023, England and Wales^1,2

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table P1

Notes:

Officers on temporary promotion and those promoted on transfer from another police force are not included in these statistics.
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.

3.3 Joiners

In the year ending 31 March 2023, 16,328 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers joined the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales (excluding transfers). This volume of joiners was 3,539 above levels seen the previous year (a 27.7% increase), and the highest number of police officer joiners in a financial year since comparable records began in the year ending March 2003.

Most of the increase in joining officers can be attributed to the government’s 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 police officer uplift recruitment drive can be found in the ‘Police officer uplift’ statistical series.

Figure 3.2: Police officer joiners, years ending 31 March 2010 to 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: joiners open data table

Notes:

Excludes those transferring in from other police forces.

Between the years ending 31 March 2010 and 2019, the majority (fluctuating between 60% to 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 2023 have seen higher proportions of recruits being standard direct recruits, with 85% of officer joiners (including transfers) in the most recent year being direct recruits.

Figure 3.3: Police officer joiners (FTE), by route of entry, year sending 31 March 2010 to 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: joiners open data table

3.4 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 increased by 31.4% in the year ending 31 March 2023 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 37.7% decrease in special constable joiners (a fall of 820 headcount) compared with the previous year.

Figure 3.4: Other police worker joiners, years ending 31 March 2009 to 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: joiners open data table

Notes:

Excludes those transferring in from other police forces.

3.5 Leavers

In the year ending 31 March 2023, 9,192 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers left the 43 territorial police forces (excluding transfers) (figure 3.5), accounting for 6.6% 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 13.2% in the number of officers leaving the service (up 1,075 FTE officers from 8,117), and the highest number of police officer leavers in a financial year since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003). This is partly down to the fact that the workforce is growing, and therefore leavers also increase. However, the leaver rate, which calculates leavers as a proportion of those in post at the start of the year, was 6.6% and the highest leaver rate since comparable records began. It is thought that this is partly driven by the ‘police uplift’ recruitment campaign reflecting a growing workforce as well as a younger-in-service profile. The year ending March 2021 saw a dip in both the number of leavers and the leaver rate, possibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 3.5: Police officer leavers (excluding transfers), years ending 31 March 2010 to 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Figure 3.6: Police officer leaver rate (excluding transfers), years ending 31 March 2010 to 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Notes:

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 5 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 (FTE), by route of exit (where known)¹, years ending 31 March 2019 to 2023, England and Wales

Year ending 31 March:	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Normal retirement	4,492	4,169	3,429	4,134	3,956
Voluntary resignation	2,175	2,363	1,996	3,433	4,575
Medical retirement	514	377	357	303	363
Contract termination and dismissal	161	163	169	180	222
Death	46	69	67	67	73
Total (excluding transfers)	7,387	7,141	6,018	8,117	9,189
Transfer	1,339	1,405	1,024	1,186	1,348
Total (including transfers)	8,727	8,546	7,043	9,303	10,537

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Notes:

In the year ending March 2023, there were 3 FTE police officer leavers where the reason for leaving was unknown which have been excluded from the table.

Table 3.2: Police officer leaver rates¹, by route of exit (where known)², years ending 31 March 2019 to 2023, England and Wales

Year ending 31 March:	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Normal retirement	3.7%	3.4%	2.7%	3.1%	2.8%
Voluntary resignation	1.8%	1.9%	1.5%	2.5%	3.3%
Medical retirement	0.4%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%	0.3%
Contract termination and dismissal	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
Death	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%
Total (excluding transfers)	6.0%	5.8%	4.7%	6.0%	6.6%
Transfer	1.1%	1.1%	0.8%	0.9%	1.0%
Total (including transfers)	7.1%	6.9%	5.5%	6.9%	7.5%

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Notes:

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.
In the year ending March 2023, there were 3 FTE police officer leavers where the reason for leaving was unknown which have been excluded from the table.

Between the year ending March 2010 and 2020, the majority of officers leaving the service (excluding transfers) did so via normal retirement, which had typically accounted for around 60% to 70% of leavers annually (figure 3.7). In more recent years, since the year ending March 2020, there has been a noticeable change in the proportion of officers leaving via normal retirement. The proportion of officers leaving the service via normal retirement has decreased year-on-year since the year ending March 2020, with 43% of leavers (excluding transfers) leaving due to retirement in the most recent year. This is driven by an increase in voluntary resignations, up from 3,433 in the year ending March 2022 (42% of leavers) to 4,575 (50% of leavers) in the year ending March 2023, reflecting a younger-in-service profile who are more likely to leave than experienced officers.

Excluding transfers, the leaver rate (of those employed by the forces at the start of the year) for police officers leaving via voluntary resignations was 3.3%, a 0.7 percentage point increase on the previous year (when the leaver rate for police officers via voluntary resignations was 2.5%).

The leaver rate for voluntary resignations has been on a general upward trend since the year ending March 2012, when it was as low as 0.8%, with the exception of the year ending March 2021 when the leaver rate dropped, thought to be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. The leaver rate for police officer voluntary resignations in the year ending March 2023 (at 3.3%) is the highest rate since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003).

Figure 3.7: Police officer leavers, by route of exit, years ending 31 March 2010 to 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Notes:

Excludes those transferring out to other police forces.

Further Information on the ethnicity and sex of police joiners and leavers can be found in chapter 6.

3.6 Other worker types

Of the paid worker types, both police staff (including designated officers) and PCSOs, saw an increase in the number of full-time equivalent workers leaving the service across the 43 police forces in England and Wales compared to the previous year (figure 3.8). The number of police staff and designated officer leavers increased by 1,067 FTEs in the year ending March 2023 compared to the previous year, and PSCO leavers increased by 537 FTE.

Figure 3.8: Other police worker leavers, years ending 31 March 2010 to 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Notes:

Excludes those transferring out to other police forces.

In the year ending 31 March 2023 of the paid police worker types (that is, excluding special constables), PCSOs had the highest leaver rate (excluding transfers), at 21.6% (figure 3.9); this is an increase on the previous year, when the leaver rate for PCSOs was 14.6%. This may be linked to PCSOs leaving their post to take up a post as a police officer as part of the officer uplift recruitment campaign. Excluding transfers, police staff and designated officers combined had a leaver rate of 12.2%, a 1.4 percentage point increase on the previous year (when the leaver rate was 10.9%), and is the highest leaver rate since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003).

Figure 3.9: Leaver rates by police worker type (excluding transfers) one, year ending 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Notes:

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.

3.7 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 2023 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 2023 was 53,774 (headcount), which accounted for 36% of all police officers (where the length of service is known). Breaking this down further, 10% of all officers (15,358 officers) had less than one year of service, and a further 7% (10,970) had experience of more than one year but less than 2 years. In the year ending March 2022, the number of officers with less than 5 years of service was 47,370 (33% of all police officers) and, of these, 12,285 officers (9% of all police officers) had less than one 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 10 years and less than 15 years of service, as at 31 March 2023, 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, where the length of service was known, 10% had been in the service between 10 years and less than 15 years, and 17% had been in the service between 15 years and less than 20 years.

Only 983 officers had served for 30 years or more, accounting for (0.7%). This reflects the fact that most 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 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table JL5

Notes:

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

Question 4

4.  Frontline and local policing

Accepted Answer

Key findings

the number police officers working in frontline roles in England and Wales increased by 5.4% in the 12 months to 31 March 2023, reaching 123,465 full-time equivalents (FTE); the proportion of officers employed in frontline roles remained stable, at 91.1% (the same as March 2022)
this is the highest number of officers in frontline policing roles since directly comparable records began in 2015; data were estimated for the years 2010 to 2014, and the volume of officers in frontline policing roles in March 2023 is similar to the figure estimated for 31 March 2010, when it is estimated there were 123,384 FTE police officers in these roles; however, the proportion (at 91.1% in March 2023), is slightly above the figure estimated in March 2010 (91.0%), but below that of March 2015 (93.4%), when directly comparable records began
the number of police officers employed in local policing roles in England and Wales increased by 6.4% in volume in the last 12 months to 67,785 FTE, and is the highest number of FTE police officers within local policing roles since comparable data began (as at 31 March 2015); this increase in police officers in local policing roles reflects an increase in all police officers in the year ending March 2023 due to the ‘police uplift’ recruitment campaign to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers by March 2023
those working within local policing roles accounted for 50.0% of all officers as at 31 March 2023, a similar proportion to the previous year (at 49.5%); whilst the number of officers in local policing roles as at 31 March 2023 is the highest since comparable data began (as at 31 March 2015), the proportion of all officers is not; this remained below the peak in March 2015, when it was 51.5%

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 and 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 support 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 the 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 is not directly comparable with data collected under the old framework. Although some functions may appear to be similar between the 2, there are often differences in definitions, and so any attempts to compare across the 2 frameworks should be done with caution. Very few functions are comparable across both frameworks.

Data for the period March 2015 to March 2023 is directly comparable. For the period March 2010 to March 2014 the Home Office estimated the number and proportion of officers in frontline policing roles based on a dual collection that took place in March 2015. While these estimates offer an indicative picture of figures from March 2010 to March 2014, they should be treated with caution. 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 and 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, for the period March 2010 to March 2014, 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.

Figure 4.1: Proportion of frontline police officers, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2023¹

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table F5

Notes:

Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and 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 2023. 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 2023.

As at 31 March 2023, there were 123,465 FTE police officers employed in frontline policing roles, an increase of 6,333 FTE officers (or 5.4%) compared with the previous year. The proportion of officers employed in frontline roles was 91.1%, the same proportion as last year. The number of FTE police officers in frontline policing roles is similar to as at 31 March 2010 when there 123,384 FTE police officers, though this 2010 figure is estimated due to the changes to the function framework described at the beginning of this section. Fully comparable data begins from 31 March 2015, this data shows that the number of officers in frontline policing roles as at 31 March 2023 was the highest since comparable data began. However, as a proportion of the workforce, the figure as at March 2023 (91.1%), is below the levels seen in March 2015 and March 2016 (both 93.4%).

Figure 4.2: Number of full-time equivalent frontline¹ police officers, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2023²

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table F5

Notes:

Visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline have been added together to give an overall frontline total.
Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and 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 2023³

As at:	Frontline	Frontline support	Business support
31-Mar-10	123,384	6,499	5,670
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
31-Mar-23	123,465	5,699	6,352

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table F6

Notes:

Visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline have been added together to give an overall frontline total.
Frontline support was previously named operational support under the old framework.
Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and 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 4.2: 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 2023³

As at:	Frontline	Frontline support	Business support
31-Mar-10	91.0	4.8	4.2
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
31-Mar-23	91.1	4.2	4.7

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table F6

Notes:

Visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline have been added together to give an overall frontline total.
Frontline support was previously named operational support under the old framework.
Figures for March 2015 onwards have been calculated using HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and 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.

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

While data is provided by these subfunctions in the data tables, some forces are not able to make a clear distinction between certain subfunctions and therefore record the majority of, or all, employees under one function. This is particularly apparent for the ‘Neighbourhood Policing’ (1a) and ‘Incident (Response) Management’ (1b) functions, so all data presented in this chapter refers specifically to the wider function of “Local Policing”.

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

There were 67,785 FTE police officers employed within local policing functions as at 31 March 2023, an increase of 4,101 FTE officers (6.4%) compared with a year earlier. This was the fifth consecutive annual increase in local policing numbers following a downward trend in previous years. Those working within local policing roles accounted for 50.0% of all officers as at 31 March 2023 (excluding ‘Other’ and ‘National Policing’ functions), a similar proportion to twelve months prior (49.5%). This recent increase in local policing numbers therefore reflects an increase in all police officers in the year to 31 March 2023 across England and Wales.

As at 31 March 2023, the number of FTE police officers within local policing functions was at the highest level since comparable data began (as at 31 March 2015), though as a proportion of all officers this remained below the peak in March 2015, when it was 51.5%).

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 2023¹

As at	Number	Proportion (%)
31-Mar-15	61,083	51.5
31-Mar-16	57,415	50.4
31-Mar-17	56,430	49.9
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	63,684	49.5
31-Mar-23	67,785	50.0

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table F1

Notes:

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 and available in table F4 of the accompanying data tables.

Within these groups, data are 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 2023, those identifying as white accounted for 91.6% of all officers and 8.4% of officers identified as belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities). Twelve months earlier these figures were 91.9% and 8.1% respectively.

Some function groups were more ethnically diverse than others, just 4.5% 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 10.3% 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 2023, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table F7

Notes:

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

Question 5

5.  Diversity

Accepted Answer

Key findings

at 31 March 2023, white officers made up 91.6% of the workforce, compared with 91.9% in the year ending March 2022
there were 11,966 full-time equivalent officers from minority ethnic groups (excluding white minorities), making up 8.4% of the workforce, up from 8.1% 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 3.8%, those identifying as a mixed ethnic group made up 2.6%, and those from another ethnic group made up 0.7%
representation of minority ethnic officers (excluding white minorities) was lower among senior ranks (that is, chief inspector or above) compared with constables and other ranks - for example, 6.0% of officers of rank chief inspector or above identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), compared with 8.9% of constables
there were 51,210 female police officers in the 43 police forces on 31 March 2023, making up 34.7% of police officers in England and Wales (up 1.2 percentage points from 33.5% 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 is 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
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 is not currently complete.

Since data on sex and ethnicity has been collected for longer, the data is more complete and reliable, so this chapter focusses on these protected characteristics only. However, since the quarter ending June 2021, experimental statistics are included in an annex to the ‘police officer uplift’ statistics (which are published quarterly up to the quarter ending March 2023) to provide information on the proportion of officers broken down by sexual orientation, age and disability status.

Data on ethnicity is now collected using the updated ONS classifications, meaning that Chinese officers are now counted in the wider “Asian” ethnic group; prior to March 2021 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 31 March 2023 Chinese officers made up just 0.2% of all officers (313 out of 149,566 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 2023, there were 11,966 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 913 FTE (8.3%) compared with a year earlier. Officers belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities) represented 8.4% of all officers who stated their ethnicity, a small increase from 8.1% 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 18.3% of the population in England and Wales who identified as such as the 2021 Census^{[footnote 3]}.

Figure 5.1: Proportion of police officers who identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: ethnicity open data table

Notes:

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 17.3% 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 (46.3%) according to the 2021 Census.

The second highest proportion of ethnic minority (excluding white minority) officers was in the West Midlands Police, where 14.0% of officers who stated their ethnicity identified themselves as such (compared with 38.6% of the local population). This force was closely followed by Bedfordshire Police where 10.8% of police officers identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities compared with 28.0% of the local population). Police forces covering more rural areas (such as Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, 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 (that is, chief inspector or above) compared with constables and other ranks. For example, 6.0% of officers of rank chief inspector or above identified as belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities), compared with 8.9% 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 2023, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: ethnicity open data table

Notes:

Excludes those who did not state their ethnicity.

Of the 11,966 officers identifying as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), 5,423 (3.8%) classified themselves as Asian or Asian British, 3,691 (2.6%) as mixed, 1,884 (1.3%) as black or black British, and 968 (0.7%) as the “Other” ethnic group.

Figure 5.3: Composition of black, Asian and minority ethnic officers, by ethnic group, as at 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table D2

5.3 Police officer promotions: Ethnicity

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 4,351 police officers promoted the year ending March 2023, 4,239 (97%) indicated their ethnicity. Of these, 323, or 7.6%, identified themselves as belonging to a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities). In comparison, in the year ending March 2022, 396 officers from a minority ethnic group (excluding white minorities) were promoted, accounting for 9.5% 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 2023, England and Wales (excluding MPS)^1,2

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: promotions open data table

Notes:

Data is on a headcount basis and excludes cases where the ethnicity of the officer promoted is unknown.
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, 16,328 full-time equivalent police officers joined the 43 police forces in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023, and 15,792 (97%) stated their ethnicity. Of these, 1,690, or 10.7% identified themselves as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), a decrease on the previous year (12.4%).

The police forces with the largest proportion of joiners (excluding transfers) identifying as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), were the Metropolitan Police Service (23.8%), City of London Police (19.4%) and West Midlands Police (17.0%). Bedfordshire Police also had a more ethnically diverse cohort of joiners than other forces, where 15.3% of new joiners identified as belonging to an ethnic minority (excluding white minority).

5.5 Police officer leavers: Ethnicity

In the year ending March 2023, and excluding transfers, 8,968 of the 9,192 (98%) officers who left the 43 police forces in England and Wales stated their ethnicity. Of these, 845, or 9.4%, 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 2022 England and Wales^1,2,3

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: leavers open data table

Notes:

Excludes cases where the ethnicity of the leaving officer is unknown.
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 2022, 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 (with the exception of police staff and designated officers, where 8.2% identified as an ethnic minority) (figure 5.6). As in recent years, the Special Constabulary was the most ethnically diverse part of the police workforce as at 31 March 2023, with 879 of the 6,351 special constables who stated their ethnicity identifying as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) (13.8% compared with 18.3% of the resident population), closely followed by police community support officers (PCSOs) (11.8%).

Figure 5.6: Ethnic breakdown of the police workforce, as at 31 March 2023, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: ethnicity open data table

Notes:

Excludes those who did not state their ethnicity.

5.7 Police officers: sex

There were 51,210 female police officers in the 43 police forces on 31 March 2023, making up 34.7% of police officers in England and Wales, up slightly from 33.5% last year. The number of female officers increased by 4,250 (9.1%) compared with a year earlier.

As in previous years, of the 43 forces, Cumbria had the highest proportion of female police officers (42.3%), followed by North Wales (40.1%). The City of London Police had the smallest proportion of female officers (24.3%) followed by the MPS (30.8%), and Cleveland Police (31.%).

Figure 5.7: Proportion of female police officers, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2023, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: workforce open data table

Notes:

Excludes cases where both the sex and 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 2023, England and Wales¹

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: workforce open data table

Notes:

Excludes cases where both the gender and sex of the officer is unknown.

5.8 Police officer promotions by sex

Of the 4,351 police officers promoted in the 43 police forces in the year ending March 2023, 1,327 were female, which accounted for 30.5% of all officers promoted. This figure is a small drop from 1,334 (31.2% of all promotions) in the previous year.

5.9 Police officer joiners and leavers by sex

Excluding transfers, of the 16,328 full-time equivalent police officers that joined the 43 police forces in the year to March 2023, 43.2% (7,046 FTE) identified as female, similar to the previous year when females accounted for 42.4% (5,423 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 (43.2%) was also higher than the proportion of current officers that were female (34.7%). This showed a continued rising trend in the proportion of all officers that were female.

Of the 9,192 officer leavers (excluding transfers) during the year to March 2023, 2,836 or 30.9% were female, compared with 29.3% in the previous year. Most female officers left either via voluntary resignation (59.5% of all female leavers (excluding transfers), compared with 45.4% of all male leavers) or normal retirements (33.8% of all females leavers (excluding transfers), compared with 47.2% of all male leavers) in the year ending March 2023.

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

As at 31 March 2023, females made up 62.3% of police staff and designated officers in the 43 forces in England and Wales, and 47.2% of PCSOs. The proportion of females in the Special Constabulary was the lowest across all worker types, with 26.3% of specials being female.

Figure 5.9: Police workforce by sex, as at 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: workforce open data table

5.11 Police officers: Age

As at 31 March 2023, over half (58.9%) of all police officers were aged 40 or under, with 13.5% of all officers aged 25 and under; slightly higher proportions than the previous year where 57.3% of all police officers were aged 40 or under, with 11.5% 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 one chief officer (0.4%) was aged under 40, around two-thirds (66.4%) of constables were.

Figure 5.10: Age breakdown¹ of police officers, by rank, as at 31 March 2023

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table D5

Notes:

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 24.1% of staff and designated officers over the age of 55, compared with just 1.8% of officers. In contrast, the Special Constabulary had a younger profile than the paid ranks, with 20.1% of special constables aged under 26. This was much higher than the next nearest worker type (Police officers at 13.5%).

Figure 5.11: Age breakdown¹ of police workers, by worker type, as at 31 March 2023

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: age open data table

Notes:

Excludes cases where the age of the worker is unknown.

Question 6

6.  Officer wellbeing

Accepted Answer

Key findings

as at 31 March 2023, there were 5,113 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers on long-term absence in the 43 forces in England and Wales (equivalent to 3.5% of all officers) – similar to the rate of 3.3% in the previous year
of these, 2,537 FTE police officers were on long-term sick leave, which is equivalent to 1.7% of police officers in England and Wales (similar to 1.8% in the previous year)
data from 41 forces (excluding Avon and Somerset and Merseyside who could not provide data) shows as at 31 March 2023, there were 5,438 police officers (headcount) on recuperative duties, equivalent to 3.8% of officers in these forces
data from 42 forces (excluding Avon and Somerset who could not provide data) shows there were also a further 7,615 police officers (headcount) on adjusted duties, equivalent to a further 5.2% of officers in these forces

6.1 Introduction

This chapter provides information on the number of police officers on long-term sick leave, and the number on recuperative and adjusted duties as at 31 March of each year. Definitions of recuperative 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 or 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 2023).

As at 31 March 2023, there were 5,113 FTE officers on long-term absence (including long-term sickness) in the 43 forces in England and Wales. This equates to 3.5% of all officers in post, similar to the rate of 3.3% in the previous year.

Of officers on long-term absence, 2,537 (50%) were on sick leave, 1,424 (28%) were on maternity or paternity leave, 658 (13%) were on career breaks and 481 (9%) were suspended. The remaining 14 were 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 2023

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: absence open data table

Notes:

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 35% of police officers in England and Wales, they accounted for 55% of all long-term absentees as at 31 March 2023. However, excluding maternity or paternity leave, females accounted for 40% of all absentees. Although females accounted for a disproportionate amount for many of the absence types (relative to the breakdown of police officers by sex), maternity or paternity leave, and career breaks were, as expected, the 2 categories in which females accounted for the majority of absences.

Table 6.1: Proportion of long-term absence by sex, as at 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Absence type	Proportion male	Proportion female
Career break	48.7%	51.3%
Sick leave	57.8%	42.2%
Maternity or paternity leave	3.8%	96.2%
Other	70.2%	29.8%
Suspended	90.0%	10.0%
All long-term absence (excluding maternity and paternity)	60.4%	39.6%
All long-term absence	44.7%	55.3%
All police officers	65.3%	34.7%

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: absence open data table

Notes:

‘Other’ leave includes compassionate leave, study leave and special leave.

6.3 Sickness

This section contains information on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers 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 2023, there were 2,537 FTE police officers on long-term sick leave in the 43 forces in England and Wales, equating to 1.7% of police officers in England and Wales on 31 March 2023, similar to the rate in the previous year (1.8%).

Figure 6.2: Number of officers (FTE) on long-term sick leave, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: data tables; table W1

Notes:

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; 1.8% of constables were on long-term sick leave, compared with 0.4% of officers of superintendent rank or above. Sickness levels across each rank are similar compared with the previous year (table 6.1).

Table 6.2: Proportion of officers (FTE) on long-term sick leave, by rank, as at 31 March 2023, England and Wales

Rank	2022	2023
Constable	1.9%	1.8%
Sergeant	1.5%	1.5%
Inspector	1.3%	1.4%
Chief inspector	1.2%	1.3%
Superintendent or above	0.8%	0.4%

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2023: absence open data table

Sickness rates have been consistently higher among females than males with 2.1% of female officers on long-term sick leave, compared with 1.5% of male officers as at 31 March 2023.

6.5 Recuperative and adjusted duties

This section contains information on the number of officers on recuperative and adjusted duties as at the 31 March 2023, broken down by sex. Data in the section is based on officer headcount (rather than full-time equivalents). Definitions of recuperative and adjusted 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.

Data from 41 forces (excluding Avon and Somerset and Merseyside who could not provide data) shows as at 31 March 2023, there were 5,438 police officers (headcount) on recuperative duties, equivalent to 3.8% of officers in these forces.

Data from 42 forces (excluding Avon and Somerset who could not provide data) shows there were also a further 7,615 police officers (headcount) on adjusted duties, equivalent to a further 5.2% of officers in these forces.

Of female officers in England and Wales, 4.9% were on recuperative duties and 7.1% were on adjusted duties as at 31 March 2023 (based on 41 and 42 forces respectively). This was higher than the proportion of males on recuperative and adjusted duties, which were 3.2% and 4.2% respectively.

6.6 Additional data

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and 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 is 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.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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
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 is 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, or preferred not to declare, their disability status, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs (37.5%, 40.4% and 37.3% respectively as at 31 March 2023), 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 2023

	Percentage (%) of all officers (headcount)
Known	62.5
of which: Yes	8.0%
of which: No	92.0%
Prefer not to say	1.5%
Unknown	35.9

Table A2: Police officers by sexual orientation, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2023

	Percentage (%) of all officers (headcount)
Known	59.6%
of which: Heterosexual/straight	91.9%
of which: Gay/lesbian	4.8%
of which: Bisexual	3.1%
of which: Other sexual orientation	0.2%
Prefer not to say	5.4%
Unknown	34.9%

Table A3: Police officers by religious beliefs, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2023

	Percentage (%) of all officers (headcount)
Known	62.7%
of which: Christian	44.4%
of which: Muslim	2.3%
of which: Sikh	1.0%
of which: Hindu	0.4%
of which: Buddhist	0.4%
of which: Jewish	0.3%
of which: Pagan	0.3%
of which: Any other religion or belief	5.8%
of which: No religion	45.2%
Prefer not to say	19.3%
Unknown	17.9%

Question 8

Annex B: Police officer assaults

Accepted Answer

Key findings

In the year ending March 2023 there were just over 40,000 assaults on police officers in England and Wales (including British Transport Police). Of which:

29,308 were crimes of “assault without injury on a constable” recorded across all forces a small decrease of 0.6% compared with 29,485 crimes recorded in the previous year
11,022 crimes of “assault with injury on a constable”^{[footnote 4]} were recorded across all forces a decrease of 8.7% compared with 12,068 crimes recorded in the previous year

Police recorded crime data

The data source for assaults on police officers is the police recorded crime series, which are published quarterly in “Crime in England and Wales”, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This note is updated on an annual basis only, so the crime statistics should be used to access data on a quarterly basis.

Prior to the introduction of the crime classification “assault with injury on a constable” in April 2017, it was only possible to identify assaults on police officers that did not result in injury from the crime statistics. Assaults that resulted in injury were recorded under the relevant offence classification, such as “violence with injury”. A new crime classification for “assault with injury on a constable” was introduced on the 1 April 2017, and this is the fifth year for which such data is available.

Previously, the Home Office used a combination of self-reported assaults data held within police forces’ Human Resource (HR) or health and safety systems and police recorded crime data of “assault without injury on a constable” to estimate the total number of assaults. Since the introduction of the crime classification “assault with injury on a constable”, data from forces’ health and safety systems is no longer required.

There are some differences between what is recorded on the health and safety systems, and what is recorded as a crime. In particular, the crime classification of “assault with injury on a constable” will exclude cases of more serious assaults. This is because, in line with the Home Office Counting Rules for recorded crime, the assault will be recorded under a more serious crime classification, such as “attempted murder”, from which it is not possible to separately identify assaults on police officers.

Figure B1 shows the time series trend for the offence “assault without injury on a constable”, which is comparable over time. Between the years ending March 2007 and March 2010 there had been a general downward trend in the number of offences of “assault without injury on a constable” recorded by the police. The number of offences recorded by the police then remained stable until the year ending March 2015, when the number of offences increased by 8%, from 14,369 in the year ending March 2015 to 15,511 offences in the year ending March 2016 (a smaller increase than the 26% over the same period for victims of the offence of “assault without injury”).

Between the years ending March 2015 and March 2022, there was an upward trend in the number of offences of “assault without injury on a constable” recorded by the police; increasing from 14,369 offences recorded in the year ending March 2015 to 29,485 offences recorded in the year ending March 2022. In the most recent year the number of offences of “assault without injury on a constable” recorded by the police has dropped slightly.

In the year ending March 2023, 29,308 offences of “assault without injury on a constable” were recorded by the police, a 0.6% decrease compared with the previous year when 29,485 offences were recorded. This compares to an increase of 1.7% over the same period for “assault without injury” (not against a constable) offences.

Figure B1: Number of offences recorded under “assault without injury on a constable”, England and Wales¹, years ending March 2007 to March 2023

Source: ONS, Crime in England and Wales

Notes:

Includes the British Transport Police.

It is known that this data is likely to be an underestimate of the total number of assaults in some forces, as many officers view assaults as part of the job and do not raise a crime record. A further limitation of the data is that it is not always possible for forces to identify whether the police officer was on or off duty at the time of the assault. For these reasons, the figures in Annex A are not directly comparable at police force area level.

Data on assaults is not National Statistics, due to their known limitations. The data is not thought to provide a complete picture of assaults against police officers and there are a number of comparability issues across forces, as described above.

Table B1: Assaults on police officers, England and Wales, year ending March 2023

Force name	Police recorded crime - Assault with injury on a constable	Police recorded crime - Assault without injury on a constable	Total assaults on a constable (with and without injury)
Avon and Somerset	358	1,194	1,552
Bedfordshire	75	388	463
British Transport Police	195	686	881
Cambridgeshire	86	486	572
Cheshire	221	528	749
Cleveland	138	639	777
Cumbria	105	368	473
Derbyshire	148	436	584
Devon and Cornwall	105	697	802
Dorset	55	0	55
Durham	80	534	614
Dyfed-Powys	123	270	393
Essex	245	1,104	1,349
Gloucestershire	101	0	101
Greater Manchester	71	1,554	1,625
Gwent	113	361	474
Hampshire	335	1,082	1,417
Hertfordshire	186	592	778
Humberside	168	640	808
Kent	235	1,216	1,451
Lancashire	220	570	790
Leicestershire	208	682	890
Lincolnshire	103	275	378
London, City of	9	54	63
Merseyside	323	653	976
Metropolitan Police	2,470	3,190	5,660
Norfolk	178	617	795
North Wales	135	332	467
North Yorkshire	486	0	486
Northamptonshire	152	483	635
Northumbria	243	539	782
Nottinghamshire	169	539	708
South Wales	226	494	720
South Yorkshire	265	566	831
Staffordshire	258	371	629
Suffolk	103	435	538
Surrey	158	447	605
Sussex	286	1,048	1,334
Thames Valley	197	1,084	1,281
Warwickshire	81	205	286
West Mercia	177	457	634
West Midlands	893	1,582	2,475
West Yorkshire	408	1,622	2,030
Wiltshire	131	288	419
England and Wales (including BTP)	11,022	29,308	40,330

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Introduction

Key findings

1. Introduction

1.1 Introduction

1.2 National Statistics Status

1.3 Corrections to this bulletin

2. Headline workforce figures

Key findings

2.1 Total police workforce

2.2 Police officers

2.3 Other police workers and volunteers

3. Promotions, joiners and leavers

Key findings

3.1 Introduction

Joiners

Leavers

3.2 Promotions

3.3 Joiners

3.4 Other worker types

3.5 Leavers

3.6 Other worker types

3.7 Length of service

4. Frontline and local policing

Key findings

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Changes to the police functions framework

4.3 Comparisons over time

4.4 Frontline policing

4.5 Local policing

4.6 Police functions by ethnicity

5. Diversity

Key findings

5.1 Introduction and changes to data collection on diversity

5.2 Police officers: Ethnicity

5.3 Police officer promotions: Ethnicity

5.4 Police officer joiners: Ethnicity

5.5 Police officer leavers: Ethnicity

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

5.7 Police officers: sex

5.8 Police officer promotions by sex

5.9 Police officer joiners and leavers by sex

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

5.11 Police officers: Age

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

6. Officer wellbeing

Key findings

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Long-term absence

6.3 Sickness

6.4 Sickness by rank

6.5 Recuperative and adjusted duties

6.6 Additional data

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

Annex B: Police officer assaults

Key findings

Police recorded crime data

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