The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen by between 19,000 and 22,000 under Conservative and coalition governments, according to official figures.
The issue was raised at Prime Minister's Questions, where Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked whether Theresa May regretted cutting 21,000 officers, citing rising crime. However, official data shows overall crime reported is falling, though some violent crimes are increasing.
As of September 2017, there were 121,929 officers, the lowest in over 20 years. The Home Office reports a 14% drop (19,921 officers) between September 2010 and September 2017, and a decline of 22,424 since September 2009, before the coalition took office.
Police community support officers have fallen by almost 40% since 2010, and authorised firearms officers dropped from 6,976 in March 2010 to 6,278 in March 2017. The National Police Chiefs' Council aims to increase armed officers back to 7,000 this year, partly funded by forces.
