Police officers in Lancashire qutting the force reaches highest number yet

The Police Federation of England and Wales said demand is outstripping police resources as the number of officers voluntarily resigning is at its highest across the two nations.

Home Office figures show 93 full-time police officers voluntarily left Lancashire Constabulary in the year to March. It is up from 47 the year before and the highest number since records began in 2006-07. Including officers who retired or were fired, a total of 215 left the force last year. It meant Lancashire Constabulary had a leavers rate of 6.6%, excluding transfers to other forces. Across England and Wales, a record high 4,575 full-time officers voluntarily resigned from policing last year. It was a 33% increase from 3,433 in 2021-22. Overall, the leavers rate also reached its highest level at 6.6%.

Steve Hartshorn, Police Federation of England and Wales national chair, said the 'worrying' figures echo the concerns thousands of officers have been raising. He said: "Our members are doing their utmost to protect the public, but demand is continuing to outstrip resources. It is paramount the service not only recruits, but retains, which will only be possible if pay and conditions are improved, to give members of the public the service they deserve. The focus going forward needs to be on pay restoration."

While the turnover rate was at its highest, it was met by a joiners rate of 11.1%. It meant the headcount for all forces increased from 140,200 officers in March 2022 to 147,400 in March of this year.

Mr Hartshorn added it is only a slight increase from 2010’s headcount of 143,700 while the UK population has grown ‘rapidly’ and the nature of crime ‘continues to increase in complexity’. In Lancashire Constabulary, the force grew from 3,270 officers in 2022 to 3,542 in 2023.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We have delivered a record number of police officers across England and Wales. We made it very clear to police forces that this large investment means we expect officer numbers to be maintained and they should have robust plans in place to ensure this. Policing is a career like no other and our latest survey of new recruits showed 82% respondents were satisfied with the job and 77% plan to stay in policing for the rest of their careers."

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “The attrition rate for Lancashire officers is in line with the national trend which highlights an increase of leavers over the last year. To understand the driving factors behind this we offer exit interviews with our leavers and ensure any organisational learning is actioned. To date there have been no significant organisational factors that are contributing to this increase in leavers.

“As an organisation, we remain dedicated to supporting our staff and seeking to ensure that we retain the appropriate skillset, knowledge and capabilities which ensure we are victim focused and deliver the best outcomes for the communities of Lancashire.”