Metropolitan Police only force in England and Wales to miss recruitment target

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The Metropolitan Police was the only force in England and Wales to miss a recruitment target set out in a Conservative manifesto pledge.

Out of 43 forces, the Met was the only one to fall short by about 1,000. It was tasked with hiring 4,557 new officers but had provisionally recruited only 3,468 in the period.

A total of 20,951 extra recruits joined police forces in the past three years across England and Wales in the wake of a Tory commitment to have 20,000 additional officers in post by March 2023, according to provisional Home Office figures.

Met chief Sir Mark Rowley said the poor reputation of Britain’s biggest police force was hindering recruitment efforts.

He expressed his disappointment at his force missing its target, telling MPs the force’s reputation was among several factors hampering its ability to hire new recruits.

Sir Mark said on Wednesday: “We are 1,000 officers light of our target. I wish we’d hit it, but we haven’t.”

When asked why, he told the Commons Home Affairs Committee: “There are a range of factors in this. We have recruited over the last three years more than 9,000 officers, which is the most, I think, ever in such a short period.

“We haven’t hit the target. Obviously we are striving to maintain the quality, that’s really important.”

The commissioner went on: “The reputation of the organisation at the moment doesn’t help recruiting, but also the employment market and the pay situation is really challenging.

“The employment market in London, as you all know, is very, very hot and very difficult, and frontline officer pay points have gone down 17% in real terms in a decade, so we’re paying people less, new recruits less, in the hottest part of the employment market in the country.

“So, I think that’s a factor as well.”

Sir Mark’s comments came amid concerns about the quality of vetting procedures and the risk of rogue officers infiltrating the ranks.

Former chief inspector of constabulary, Sir Thomas Winsor, warned the “sheer magnitude and speed” of the recruitment campaign “inevitably carries risks”, adding that there is a “heightened danger that people unsuited to policing may get through and be recruited”.

The Home Office has insisted all recruits are subject to a “rigorous” vetting process and must meet national standards in order to be hired.

The department expected to spend £3.6 billion on the recruitment programme by March, with a total cost of £18.5 billion over the next 10 years, according to Whitehall’s spending watchdog.

In June, the National Audit Office (NAO) warned the recruitment campaign would “exacerbate pressure” on a criminal justice system which is “already under strain” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

It also said hiring police community support officers (PCSOs), special constables or police staff to fill the roles could lead to vacancies elsewhere in the service.

'Mountain to climb'

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Commissioner and Mayor make no apology for ensuring that the Met recruits police officers of the highest quality, rather than focusing on quantity at any cost. There has been a huge mountain to climb given the sheer numbers of officers lost due to government austerity measures.

"The Mayor and the Commissioner are in agreement that London needs at least 6,000 of the 20,000 officer posts funded by the Government's Uplift Programme - which is 1,440 more than the Ministers are planning to fund. Ministers must urgently plug this gap and provide London with the number of officers required to help build a better, safer city for all.

“The Mayor continues to fund Met outreach events across London to recruit the best officers and ensure the Met reflects the diversity of the city it serves at every rank. Whilst more than 9,000 officers have been recruited in the last three years, both the Mayor and Commissioner agree that new officers should be paid more fairly in line with the rising cost of living in the capital to ensure the best possible candidates apply to help bring about the reforms Londoners deserve and need.

“Against the backdrop of huge Government cuts, the Mayor has invested more than £1billion in policing and is directly funding 1,300 police officers in our town centres and communities, helping to elevate Met officer numbers to their highest and most diverse levels in history.

“The Mayor has also announced plans to fund 500 additional Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to work in local neighbourhoods disproportionately impacted by crime. This investment followed more than a decade of austerity, during which Met officer numbers plummeted below 30,000.”

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