Police officer numbers up

The number of police officers serving in Warwickshire has hit another high, according to the latest figures released by the Home Office.

On 31 March 2004, Warwickshire had a total of 1011 officers (full time equivalent). This is up from 1000 officers the previous year, and follows year on year increases in police officer numbers in Warwickshire during the past five years.

Of the 1011 officers, nine are working outside the force area, eight in regional teams working to tackle serious and organised crime and one with the Association of Chief Police Officers in London. The force receives specific additional funding for these officers.

The data below shows the total office strength (full time equivalent) at 31 March each year:

• March 2000 - 899
• March 2001 - 925
• March 2002 - 969
• March 2003 - 1000
• March 2004 - 1011

In addition, the number of police community support officers (PCSOs) stood at 25 on 31 March, and has risen by a further 20 this year, bringing the total number in post to 45. PCSOs provide high visibility foot patrol and aim to tackle community issues that affect people’s quality of life such as anti-social behaviour and nuisance youths.

At the time of the survey, a further 169 volunteer police specials were also available for deployment across the county. A recent recruitment campaign for specials has been very successful and the number has now risen to 194.

Warwickshire has also undergone a programme of civilianisation, recruiting support staff to fill jobs that had previously been carried out by police officers and releasing officers into operational roles. This year an additional ten police officers have returned to operational duties as a result of this process, with skilled civilian staff filling their roles on the Crime Desk and Firearms Licensing departments.

Another scheme - the Enhanced Policing Initiative - has also seen senior police managers and other office based officers going out on regular patrol to boost officer presence at busy times, such as Friday and Saturday nights.

The number of police staff (civilian staff) working for Warwickshire stood at 525 full and part-time members at 31 March.

Chair of Warwickshire Police Authority John Rennie said:

"It is really encouraging to see that, yet again, we have record levels of police officers and growing numbers of PCSOs and specials. All of these people, in their different roles, work together to provide complementary police services across the community. Their effectiveness is reflected in the latest crime figures, which show reductions in both burglary and vehicle crime, and increased detections for both of these priority areas." See latest crime statistics

Chief Constable John Burbeck said:

"I am pleased that the number of people working together to police Warwickshire has increased so significantly, not just regular police officers, but also specials and PCSOs, who provide a high profile uniformed presence on our streets. These are backed up by better intelligence and skilled support teams, which means that they can provide even more effective policing to make Warwickshire the safest place to be."