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Police officer numbers fall to lowest level in decade Police officer numbers fall to lowest level in decade
(40 minutes later)
The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for a decade, official figures show.The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for a decade, official figures show.
There were 136,261 police officers in September 2011 - 6,012 fewer than the 142,273 there had been a year earlier. There were 135,838 police officers in September 2011 - 6,012 fewer than the 141,850 there had been a year earlier.
Only one force, Surrey Police, increased police officer numbers over that period. Only one of the 43 forces, Surrey Police, increased police officer numbers over that period.
Police civilian staff numbers in September 2011 stood at 69,407, down 8,820 or 11.3% over the 12 months.
But the number of special constables, who are volunteers, went up by more than 2,500 (15.5%) to 19,366.
The figures show the number of officers fell by more than 3,000 from last March alone.The figures show the number of officers fell by more than 3,000 from last March alone.
Their release comes as Gloucestershire Police Chief Constable Tony Melville warned of the dangers of further cuts to his force's budget, saying it put it on a "metaphorical cliff edge". The biggest percentage reduction in officers was in Derbyshire, which saw a 7.5% fall - 156 officers - followed by Nottinghamshire, which fell by 6.9% - 165 officers - and Devon and Cornwall, which fell by 6.1% or 213 officers.
The figures come as Gloucestershire Police Chief Constable Tony Melville warned of the dangers of further cuts to his force's budget, saying it was on a "metaphorical cliff edge".
Chief Constable Peter Fahy, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead for workforce development, said it was "not surprising" to see a fall in the numbers of officers as most police forces had seen significant cuts.Chief Constable Peter Fahy, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead for workforce development, said it was "not surprising" to see a fall in the numbers of officers as most police forces had seen significant cuts.
'Challenging time'
"This is a very difficult time for most police forces with staff leaving and the challenge of managing redundancy and change programmes," he said."This is a very difficult time for most police forces with staff leaving and the challenge of managing redundancy and change programmes," he said.
"Workforce morale is understandably affected by the pay freeze, proposed increment freeze and increase in pension contributions.""Workforce morale is understandably affected by the pay freeze, proposed increment freeze and increase in pension contributions."
On the positive side, he said, many forces have started recruiting again, or will continue to do so in the next financial year. Mr Fahy went on to say the effectiveness of policing could not be measured by the number of officers alone, but by reductions in crime and increases in public confidence.
But he said this would not compensate for "what will still be a long-term reduction in numbers".
Chief Constable Fahy went on to say the effectiveness of policing could not be measured by the number of officers alone, but by reductions in crime and increases in public confidence.
"We will shortly enter the most difficult financial year for policing in living memory but forces have the plans to cope with what will be a most challenging time," he said."We will shortly enter the most difficult financial year for policing in living memory but forces have the plans to cope with what will be a most challenging time," he said.
On the positive side, he said, many forces had started recruiting again, or would continue to do so in the next financial year.
But he said this would not compensate for "what will still be a long-term reduction in numbers".
The government is cutting central government funding to police in England and Wales by 20% over five years, as a result of the 2010 Spending Review.
Policing minister Nick Herbert said: "There were around 25,000 officers in backroom jobs, giving forces plenty of scope to save money while still protecting the front line.
"In fact, forces are protecting neighbourhood policing, and the proportion of the police workforce on the front line is rising.
"What matters most is how officers are deployed. By cutting bureaucracy and working more efficiently, police visibility on the streets can be improved."