[holding answer 10 December 2007]: The available data which have been collected from 2002-03, are for police officers who leave the force from 2002-03 onwards, and are given in the following table.
Headcount 2002-03 25 and under 743 26 to 40 2,889 41 to 55 3,877 Over 55 279 2003-04 25 and under 740 26 to 40 2,720 41 to 55 3,440 Over 55 301 2004/052 25 and under 570 26 to 40 2,430 41 to 55 4,012 Over 55 319 2005-06 25 and under 551 26 to 40 2,629 41 to 55 5,333 Over 55 320 2006-07 25 and under 475 26 to 40 2,548 41 to 55 4,962 Over 55 322 1 Number of officers who leave during the reporting period. Period runs from 1 April to 31 March. 2 Data are not available for Leicestershire for 2004-05. Note: The majority of the these police officers leave due to retirement.
Police officer age is collected within specific age bands only, and the available data are given in the table as follows.
25 and under 26 to 40 41 to 55 Over 55 Avon and Somerset 251 1865 1,358 14 Bedfordshire 138 643 434 8 Cambridgeshire 104 764 548 5 Cheshire 165 1,283 811 3 Cleveland 130 918 708 2 Cumbria 88 635 572 4 Derbyshire 143 1,050 879 10 Devon and Cornwall 188 1,843 1,544 18 Dorset 99 829 621 9 Durham 76 932 707 6 Dyfed-Powys 50 664 496 2 Essex 517 1,592 1,267 21 Gloucestershire 96 690 559 5 Greater Manchester 606 4,283 3,144 20 Gwent 86 838 575 13 Hampshire 322 2,151 1,463 15 Hertfordshire 287 1,243 702 4 Humberside 169 1,104 989 15 Kent 451 2,078 1,218 29 Lancashire 258 2,039 1,366 3 Leicestershire 178 1,240 855 8 Lincolnshire 73 599 572 9 London, City of 46 433 385 7 Merseyside 387 2,055 2,022 17 Metropolitan police 2,503 16,872 11,943 208 Norfolk 90 852 663 4 Northamptonshire 93 707 538 1 Northumbria 196 2,131 1,691 6 North Wales 88 832 700 2 North Yorkshire 144 895 652 0 Nottinghamshire 172 1,334 959 14 South Wales 151 1,905 1,295 17 South Yorkshire 204 1,767 1,344 13 Staffordshire 169 1,297 877 15 Suffolk 103 743 534 4 Surrey 155 1,106 732 o Sussex 339 1,751 1,066 13 Thames Valley 441 2,264 1,599 23 Warwickshire 104 554 412 1 West Mercia 163 1,244 1,034 11 West Midlands 755 4,731 2,862 40 West Yorkshire 591 2,995 2,180 23 Wiltshire 66 645 557 4 1 Headcount figures; full-time and part-time officers are counted individually as one officer. This differs from the main officer count which is on a full-time equivalent basis. The figures include officers on career breaks and maternity/paternity leave.