[holding answer 18 February 2008]: The available data are given in the following table.
Officer resignations have remained stable in the last four years (2003-04 to 2006-07) and the figures represent 1.5 per cent. 1.4 per cent. 1.5 per cent. and 1.5 per cent. of total officer strength respectively in each year.
2002-035 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Avon and Somerset 11 52 40 77 35 Bedfordshire 22 39 35 24 23 Cambridgeshire 22 23 34 26 28 Cheshire 10 21 26 37 24 Cleveland 2 23 20 24 25 Cumbria 9 11 15 11 17 Derbyshire 14 21 20 20 41 Devon and Cornwall 22 13 31 44 34 Dorset 11 18 20 22 19 Durham 4 19 19 15 16 Dyfed-Powys 5 9 17 12 8 Essex 12 36 66 79 81 Gloucestershire 10 16 16 19 20 Greater Manchester 43 126 128 186 159 Gwent 1 15 17 20 16 Hampshire 35 68 47 64 49 Hertfordshire 28 56 54 55 63 Humberside 20 29 36 31 34 Kent 37 72 60 66 49 Lancashire 17 28 42 26 32 Leicestershire 20 35 36 45 27 Lincolnshire 10 16 19 20 16 London, City of 19 12 11 11 11 Merseyside 22 34 38 83 61 Metropolitan Police 453 552 422 337 531 Norfolk 9 10 13 22 24 Northamptonshire 9 26 30 24 19 Northumbria 35 29 34 38 49 North Wales 7 22 17 27 22 North Yorkshire 11 15 18 17 32 Nottinghamshire 12 13 25 14 28 South Wales 20 21 18 29 39 South Yorkshire 36 46 57 40 38 Staffordshire 7 27 43 24 22 Suffolk 14 28 26 14 12 Surrey 27 34 32 37 46 Sussex 35 124 113 82 76 Thames Valley 64 71 100 131 86 Warwickshire 14 19 15 12 18 West Mercia 18 27 21 19 38 West Midlands 89 107 119 137 105 West Yorkshire 34 46 72 89 65 Wiltshire 18 18 24 26 16 Total 51,316 2,026 2,042 2,133 2,151 1 Resignations also include those officers who have rejoined the force as part of the 30+ scheme and subsequently leave the force. 2 Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. 3 Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Comparable data are not available prior to 2002-03. 4 Data have not previously been previously published in this format therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data. 5 Excludes quarter 1, data not available.