…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
More than 20,000 police officers have been hired in England and Wales, fulfilling a pledge made in the Conservative manifesto, although the Metropolitan Police fell short of its target.
Provisional figures from the Home Office showed that 20,951 extra recruits joined police forces in the past three years, in response to the Conservative government’s promise to have 20,000 additional officers in post by March 2023.
The Metropolitan Police, however, missed its individual target by about 1,000, having provisionally recruited only 3,468 out of the 4,557 officers it was tasked to hire.
The Promise of the Conservative Manifesto
The Conservative Party pledged to hire 20,000 additional police officers in England and Wales to improve public safety and protect communities.
The goal has been achieved, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who declared on Twitter that the promise had been delivered.
Opposition and Austerity Measures
The government’s critics had previously argued that it was falling behind in its commitment to replace thousands of police officer jobs that had been cut during the period of austerity measures.
Missed Targets and Recruitment Issues
While most of the police forces met or exceeded their individual hiring targets, the Metropolitan Police was the only one to fall short, by around 1,000 officers.
Sir Mark Rowley, the then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, expressed concerns about the risks of recruiting thousands of inexperienced officers quickly.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services also raised concerns about the number of inexperienced recruits and the quality of vetting procedures.
Quality Concerns
Sir Thomas Winsor, the former Chief Inspector of Constabulary, warned that there was a heightened risk of recruiting unsuitable candidates, given the sheer scale and speed of the recruitment campaign.
He also expressed concern that there was a risk of rogue officers infiltrating the ranks.
The Home Office, however, has maintained that all recruits are subject to a rigorous vetting process and must meet national standards.
The Cost of Recruitment
The Home Office anticipated that it would spend £3.6 billion on the recruitment programme by March, with a total cost of £18.5 billion over the next decade, according to the National Audit Office.
The recruitment campaign has also raised concerns about the impact on the criminal justice system, which is already under strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, the Conservative government has delivered on its manifesto promise to hire 20,000 additional police officers in England and Wales.
However, concerns have been raised about the quality of recruitment procedures and the potential risks of recruiting large numbers of inexperienced officers quickly.
The Metropolitan Police was the only force to miss its hiring target, raising further concerns about recruitment issues.
The cost of the recruitment campaign and its potential impact on the criminal justice system have also been a cause for concern.