Police: Manpower

Mr. Jeremy Browne
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of police officers left the police force in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. McNulty
The available data are from 1997-98 onwards and are given in the following table. These data are taken from the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series “Police Service Strength, England and Wales” published annually containing data correct as at 31 March; the bulletins can be downloaded from the following link:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.html

Police officer leavers from England and Wales forces from 1997-98 to 2005-06Officer leaversOfficer strengthPercentage leavers1997-9816,657124,7985.31998-9916,104123,8414.91999-200015,948121,9564.92000-01 15,849123,3134.72001-0216,420127,2675.02002-0327,783132,5095.92003-0427,139138,4685.22004-0527,367141,0595.22005-062, 38,773141,5236.2 1 Wastage comprises retirements, resignations, dismissals, deaths and transfers to police forces outside England and Wales.2 Not comparable to previous wastage figures as data do not include transfers to other England and Wales forces and officers leaving after a period of secondment.3 Over 1,000 police officers previously working with the National Crime Squad (NCS) and the National Criminal Intelligence Squad (NCIS) left their home force to join the Serious Organised Crime Agency when it vested on 1 April 2006.