Record number of police officers resigning in Thames Valley new figures show

A record number of police officers voluntarily resigned from Thames Valley Police last year, new figures show.

Home Office figures show 212 full-time police officers voluntarily left Thames Valley Police in the year to March. It is up from 159 the year before and the highest number since records began in 2006.

And, including officers who retired or were fired, a total of 308 left the force last year.

It meant Thames Valley Police had a leavers rate of nearly seven per cent, excluding transfers to other forces.

Across England and Wales, a record high 4,575 full-time officers voluntarily resigned from policing last year. It was a 33 per cent increase from 2021-22.

Overall, the leavers rate also reached its highest level at 6.6 per cent.

Steve Hartshorn, Police Federation of England and Wales national chair, said the figures echo the concerns of thousands of officers.

He said: "Our members are doing their utmost to protect the public, but demand is continuing to outstrip resources.

"It is paramount the service not only recruits, but retains, which will only be possible if pay and conditions are improved, to give members of the public the service they deserve.

"The focus going forward needs to be on pay restoration."

While the turnover rate was at its highest, it was met by a joiners rate of 11 per cent.

It meant the headcount for all forces increased from 140,200 officers in March 2022 to 147,400 in March this year.

Mr Hartshorn added it is only a slight increase from 2010’s headcount of 143,700 while the UK population has grown ‘rapidly’ and the nature of crime ‘continues to increase in complexity’.

The Thames Valley force grew from 4,534 officers in 2022 to 4,957 in 2023.

A Home Office spokeswoman said a record number of officers across England and Wales had been delivered, and it had made its expectation that numbers are maintained, with robust plans in place, clear to forces.

She added: "Policing is a career like no other and our latest survey of new recruits showed 82 per cent respondents were satisfied with the job and 77 per cent plan to stay in policing for the rest of their careers."