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| Fall in police numbers revealed | Fall in police numbers revealed |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen for the first time since March 2000, Home Office figures have revealed. | The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen for the first time since March 2000, Home Office figures have revealed. |
| The total dropped by 173 officers from the end of March last year to 141,873 at the end of September. | The total dropped by 173 officers from the end of March last year to 141,873 at the end of September. |
| The government has made recruitment a priority since the rapid decline in numbers during the late 1990s. | The government has made recruitment a priority since the rapid decline in numbers during the late 1990s. |
| In 2004, the number of police officers in England and Wales exceeded 140,000 for the first time. | In 2004, the number of police officers in England and Wales exceeded 140,000 for the first time. |
| The figures also show a 35% rise, year on year, in the number of police community support officers (PCSOs) to 8,517. | |
| These were first introduced into England and Wales in 2002 under the Police Reform Act in response to concern over a perceived lack of police presence on the streets. | |
| The number of police civilian staff also rose 2.7% year-on-year to 74,585. | |
| North Wales saw the biggest loss of police officers with a 2.8% fall, followed by Wiltshire (2.6%) and Suffolk (2.2%). |