145,886 officers, and falling for the second year running.
How many officers there actually are, how that has moved since 2010, and what happens after a crime is reported. Home Office counts, not force press releases.
6 figures, each with its official source.
Full-time equivalent. The series peaked at 147,745 in March 2024 and has fallen in each of the two years since. The low point was 122,405 in March 2018, after 143,734 in March 2010.
The honest way to compare across time and force areas, because a rising population absorbs a rising headcount. Constables alone: 182 per 100,000.
147,745 in March 2024 against 145,886 in March 2026. Two consecutive annual falls after the uplift programme ended.
Officers, staff, PCSOs and designated officers combined. Down from 235,773 a year earlier.
Down 55 FTE, or 0.8%, in twelve months. PCSOs are the visible neighbourhood presence most people mean by 'bobbies on the beat'.
Volunteer officers with full police powers. Down 324, or 5.9%, in a single year, the steepest fall of any part of the workforce.