'Back officers' call as figures reveal record number of police leaving

Steve Butler said police need more backing, amid figures that show 9,000 officers left policing in England and Wales in the year up to March 31.

The figure is the second highest in a financial year.

Of the 9,080 officers who left, 43 per cent – 3,964 – had less than five years’ service.

Mr Butler said: “Officers have experienced erosion of their pay and conditions, they’ve been used as a political football, they’re being asked to do more than ever for less reward, and they’re worried about the conduct process and the consequences of doing their job.

“We need to change all that and back our officers otherwise more will continue to leave the service.”

The most common reason for leaving was voluntary resignation – 56 per cent of leavers.

The leaver rate for police officer voluntary resignations was the highest on record at 3.4 per cent, and similar to the previous year – 3.3 per cent.

Voluntary resignations have been on a general upward trend since the year ending March 2012 when it was as low as 0.8 per cent.

Of police officers leaving via voluntary resignation in the year ending March 31, 72 per cent had less than five years’ service and a further 10 per cent had between five and 10 years’ service, the Home Office said.

In the past year, 9,479 officers joined the service, a decrease of 6,848 on the previous year when 16,328 officers joined.

The West Mercia Police Federation’s own annual pay and morale survey found that 15 per cent of respondents intended to resign from policing.

Morale – 86 per cent, the impact of the job on their mental health – 81 per cent, and how police were treated by the last government – 77 per cent were given as the main reasons.

A total of 81 per cent said they were unhappy with their pay and remuneration, while 17 per cent reported never or almost never having enough money to cover their essentials.

The Home Office figures show that in the six months to March 31, the number of police officers in West Mercia fell by seven. The figure was up 34 over the year.

Of the 160 officers who left the force – excluding transfers, 86, or 54 per cent, were through voluntary resignation.

Mr Butler said: “We’ve recruited people to policing in the Uplift programme but we’re losing new and experienced officers right across the service.

“The downward trend in West Mercia of the past six months is concerning and there’s a danger that the good work of the Uplift programme will be undone.

“The recent 4.75 per cent pay increase will help but our members are still a long way off where their pay was in real terms 15 years ago, which is why we’re campaigning for pay negotiation rights.

“We need to look at training, infrastructure, equipment, all of which received chronic underinvestment as well.

“We also need to look at how can incentivise long service so we retain the skills and experience we need.

“Until we back our officers in deeds as well as words, then I fear the retention crisis will get worse.”