23,500 police staff jobs have been lost in England and Wales since 2010, figures from GMB, the union for police staff, reveal.
The figures include more than 7,000 cuts to Police Community Support Officer roles (PCSOs). In one police force, Norfolk, PCSO numbers have fallen by 100 per cent after the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner cut all posts.
“The Tories talk tough on crime but in reality they’ve spent the last decade denying police forces the resources they need to keep the public safe. “They have put lives at risk every day.
- Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer
The most affected region is London, which has lost almost half (47 per cent or 9,000 jobs) of its police staff since 2010, including 72 per cent of PCSOs. The worst of the cuts were inflicted in the Metropolitan Police during Boris Johnson’s term as Mayor of London.
The North East is the second worst affected region with almost a third of jobs lost.
The term police staff covers a wide range of roles including custody officers, 999 call handlers, PCSOs, scene of crime investigators, and technical and administrative support jobs.
These job losses are on top of cuts to police officer numbers.
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https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/shock-figures-reveal-23500-police-staff-cut-under-tories