The number of police officers sacked each year from forces in England and Wales has hit a record high, figures show. Some 461 officers were dismissed or had their contracts terminated in 2025/26, up from 426 in the previous 12 months. It is the third year in a row that a new record has been set, according to data published by the Home Office. The number, which is based on headcount, has been climbing steadily since the start of the decade, when it stood at 164 in 2019/20.
Forces with highest dismissal rates
The five largest forces in England and Wales together account for just over half of all dismissals in 2025/26: the Metropolitan Police (168 dismissals, or 36.4% of the total), Greater Manchester (21, or 4.6%), West Midlands (19, or 4.1%), West Yorkshire (15, or 3.3%) and Thames Valley (11, or 2.4%). Four other forces had more than 10 dismissals in 2025/26: Essex (15, or 3.3% of the total), Merseyside (13 or 2.8%), Humberside (12 or 2.6%) and Surrey (11 or 2.4%).
Voluntary leavers and overall officer numbers
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% 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%.
Recruitment and political response
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.”
