Rishi Sunak quoted the police numbers in response to a question from Sir Keir Starmer and its caused quite the stir.
The Labour leader wanted to know about Home Secretary Suella Braverman – who is in charge of policing – and whether her “integrity and professionalism are beyond question”.
A target to recruit 20,000 additional police officers in England and Wales by March 2023 was set out in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto.
It was an attempt to reverse cuts since 2010, which had seen the number of officers fall by about 19,000.
Figures released on Wednesday, for the period up to 30 September, show that just over 15,300 officers have been recruited.
This means police forces still have to recruit almost 5,000 more officers to meet the spring deadline.
They are also having trouble retaining officers.
In the year to March 2022, more than 8,000 police officers left forces in England and Wales. That’s a 35% increase on the previous year and the highest volume of leavers in almost 20 years.
There are concerns about the impact of so many experienced officers leaving.
Lawyer Peter Stefanovic has called out the Prime Ministers ‘bollocks ‘ in his latest.
You can watch it below:
Jeez. Boris Johnson mini-me Rishi Sunak – having already trashed the integrity of his Government by reappointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary – is now spouting Johnson’s bull**** on extra police!
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) October 27, 2022
It’s just the same old rotten bunch in a new suit & expensive shoes pic.twitter.com/POd0sWJdRw
