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(Picture: Met Police)The Metropolitan Police is offering £5,000 to attract new police constables in a recruitment drive.
The force said it was “taking bold steps” to recruit a record number of police officers in the next ten months.
As the recovery from Covid continues, the Met Police said they have seen the job market in London rebound and change quickly.
They said they have more job opportunities, fewer people looking for work and more officers are choosing to retire.
Through its National Police Uplift Programme, they hope to recruit another 4,000 new officers by March 2023.
During a “time-limited period”, the force are offering a one-off cash bonus of £5,000 to encourage more people to become a police constable as well as retain experienced officers.
They said the cash bonus would be added to its existing package of measures.
As well as wanting to attract new officers, the force also said it is removing pension abatement for more who have passed their usual point of retirement.
This means they will be able to receive their full pension and monthly salary as they would have if they had retired and started working in another organisation.
The measure is designed to benefit Met Police officers who have served 30 years, or who will be aged 55 or over and have served 25 years.
Director of Resources, Clare Davies, said: “Our growth is helping us achieve positive results in driving down violent crime and bolstering our presence in town centres and in neighbourhoods across London.
“The additional measures we have introduced are all targeted at making the Met competitive in the London job market at a time when all police forces and a number of other sectors are recruiting.
“We will be doing everything we can whilst we have the funding to encourage the best of the best to join us. We will also continue to press hard for a fair pay award for all our officers so that we remain an attractive employer.”
As of March, there are 33,567 officers working for the Met Police, the highest number on record.
