Lies Damn Lies and the Home Office

Last updated on January 14th, 2024 at 06:06 pm

There has been discussion recently (again) about Police staffing levels, in the face of an increase in UK population, an increase in demand and the equivalent of an estimated 6,000 of the 21,000 found under the Police Uplift Programme being abstracted from Front Line Policing to fulfil roles usually performed by Police Staff.  Gavin Stephenson and the NPCC have finally started speaking out about the government custs since 2010.  In return we get Lies Damn Lies and the Home Office bullshit.

It has long been my opinion that the entire Police Uplift Programme has been nothing nore than smoke and mirrors, but the Home Office have taken it to a whole new level.

In response to Gavin Stephenson’s claims we got this;

A home office spokesperson said: “Since 2010, violent crime has fallen by 52% and neighbourhood crime by 50%, and we are providing more support than ever before for policing. A record number of police officers, including a record number on the frontline, means more police working in public protection, in local policing and in crime investigations.

Apparently Police Officers are at their highest ever level.

Unfortunately the first set of workforce data since the end of the Police Uplift Programme is not scheduled to be released for another weeks, and is only published once every 6 months.

However, the Metropoltan Polce publshes staffing leveols monthly, and the most recent published is 30 Novermber 2023.

According to the Met’s figures they had a total establishment of 34,503 officers at 31 March 2023, the end of PUP.  By 30 November 2023 they had a total strangth of 34,184 officers, an overall LOSS of 319 officers, in just 8 months.

I look forward to the next set of national data being released because the Met are certainly not benefitting from these record levels, so I would like to see who is.