Share of additional officers based on current formula

As expected, forces in England and Wales will receive a proportionate share of the additional £750 million promised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer for 2020/21 based on the current central government funding formula.

This was the full amount bid for by the National Police Chiefs’ Council to cover necessary costs of recruiting the additional 6,000 officers – the target for the first year of the drive to increase numbers by 20,000 by 2023.

The funding also covers the associated costs of recruitment, uniform and additional equipment.

All officers recruited as part of the 20,000 uplift will be additional to those being hired to fill existing vacancies and the extra officers already being recruited by most forces because of almost £1 billion increase in budgets in 2019/20.

The Metropolitan Police Service will receive the largest allocation – 1,369 officers – but the Mayor of London reacted with disappointment at the news, having requested a bigger share of the funding than he currently receives.

Sadiq Khan, said:“While these additional officers are welcome and absolutely necessary to tackle violent crime, this represents only a very partial reversal of the huge Government cuts to the Met Police since 2010.

“I have been clear that London needs at least 2,000 of the additional 6,000 officers promised nationally next year, and sadly we are set to get funding for many fewer officers than that.

“I will keep pushing the Government to go further and faster in reversing their cuts so that we can properly tackle violent crime.”

However, the police and crime commissioner for Kent welcomed the announcement as, together with the recruitment already under way, the allocation will take officer numbers higher than they were in 2010.

Matthew Scott said he was delighted that Kent is receiving funding for 147 more police officers: “With the support of my office and local council tax-payers, Kent Police was already on target to have 450 more police officers by March 2020 than when I came into office.

“These 147 officers will take Kent’s establishment to 3,779 full time police officers – in excess of summer 2010 numbers.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel set out the allocation when she chaired the second meeting of the National Policing Board on Tuesday (October 8). Following public statements of disappointment that they were not invited to sit on the board, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) chair and president of the Police Superintendents Association attended.

Ms Patel said: “The public are clear they want to see more police officers on their streets, whether they live in the city or the countryside.

“This is the people’s priority and it is exactly what the Government is delivering. Every single police force in England and Wales will be able to recruit additional officers this year to help keep all of our communities safer.”

PFEW chair John Apter welcomed the announcement: “Yesterday’s meeting was constructive and it is important that we, as the largest police staff association, were at the table to ensure our members were represented.

“Investment in policing is long overdue and for the first time we now have the actual number of officers each local force will increase by in the next year.

“These figures have been based on the current funding formula models and while this method is not perfect, I accept it is the only solution available to deliver the numbers quickly in year one.

“We now need to ensure that the formula is revisited for future years to ensure a fairer allocation of officers across all forces, but this is certainly a positive start and will provide a much-needed boost to my members and the communities they serve.”