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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

Police leaders say they will struggle to fulfil Labour’s promise to recruit 13,000 officers

Met police officers on a bridge with the London skyline in the background
Before the election, Labour promised 13,000 extra police officers, PCSOs and special constables, which would bring the total police workforce to a level above its 2010 peak. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

Police forces will struggle to fulfil Keir Starmer’s promise to recruit an additional 13,000 officers and the public will “pay the price”, police leaders have warned, after the chancellor outlined a decline in Home Office spending power on Wednesday.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said it would be incredibly difficult to deliver the prime minister’s election pledge within the lifetime of this parliament, with a projected £1.2bn shortfall in police funding expected to grow.

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