Reality Policing in 2012

Full-time equivalent (FTE) officer numbers have fallen by 5,009 in a year, standing at 134,101 by the end of March this year. The number of community support officers also fell 9% but the number of volunteer special constables (they are unpaid!) was up 10.4%. These cuts are all part of savings in the deficit reduction programme. The number of FTE’s in Derbyshire dropped 10% and 8.2% in Warwickshire, the biggest percentage drops. The only force to see an increase was Surrey, which saw a rise of 4.7%. Shadow police minister David Hanson has said it is “deeply worrying” that this many officers have been lost and that this comes at a time when there are growing challenges for forces to keep crime levels at historic lows. Our Head of Criminal Law, Andrew Parker, recently tweeted: The 2012 Olympics have a dark side, the impact on normal policing. Don't expect too many arrests or effective proceedings in your home area! Police leave has been cancelled and once the Olympics has finished, there will be a knock on effect for some months.