A record number of police officers have been dismissed or had their contracts terminated across England and Wales, new figures reveal.
Some 461 officers were removed from their posts in 2025/26, an increase from 426 in the previous year.
This marks the third consecutive year that a new high has been reached, according to data published by the Home Office.
The number of dismissals, calculated by headcount, has been steadily rising since 2019/20, when it stood at 164.
The five largest forces in England and Wales were responsible for over half of all dismissals in 2025/26.
The Metropolitan Police led with 168 dismissals (36.4 per cent of the total), followed by Greater Manchester (21, or 4.6 per cent), West Midlands (19, or 4.1 per cent), West Yorkshire (15, or 3.3 per cent), and Thames Valley (11, or 2.4 per cent).
Four additional forces also recorded more than 10 dismissals: Essex (15, or 3.3 per cent), Merseyside (13 or 2.8 per cent), Humberside (12 or 2.6 per cent), and Surrey (11 or 2.4 per cent).
The year to March 2026 also saw 4,877 officers voluntarily leaving policing: the second-highest number on record and up slightly from 4,806 in 2024/25.
Home Office data on police leavers begins in 2006/07.
Figures published on Thursday also show there were a total of 145,886 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in post in England and Wales at the end of March 2026.
This is down 0.4 per cent from 146,452 a year earlier and 1.3% below the recent peak of 147,745 in March 2024.
A majority of forces – 34 out of 43 – saw a net increase in FTE officers year on year.
Nine forces saw a net decrease, with the Metropolitan Police recording the largest drop, down 1,798 officers from 33,293 to 31,495 – a fall of 5.4 per cent.
Ministers have committed to recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood policing officers by the end of the parliament in 2029.
The Home Office figures show an additional 3,814 FTE officers were in neighbourhood policing roles at the end of March 2026 compared with a year earlier, with the total up from 17,175 to 20,989.
This is higher than the target for the first year of the recruitment campaign, which was 3,011 FTE officers.
The number includes officers who are currently in training.
Responding to the fall in the total number of police officers, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “If people feel less safe today, it’s because Labour have abandoned public safety.
“Labour have slashed budgets, hiked taxes, let out criminals early and left forces with no other choice but to cut officer numbers.
“Today we have seen the result with over 1,800 fewer officers since Labour came to office, and a decline in over 1,500 frontline officers in the most recent year.
“The Conservatives have a fully funded plan to clear up Labour’s mess and deliver 10,000 extra police officers as part of a plan to take back our streets.”
