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David Lammy on police officer numbers, PMQs 8 July 2026

Crime and justiceWeek of 2026-10-23 · version 1 · figures checked 23 Oct 2026, 16:59 UTC · Full history

Edited by , Editor

The statement

We lost 16,000 police officers when the Conservatives were in power.

David Lammy, 8 July 2026. Source

What the sources report

  • Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, table H3 (March 2026 release) reports police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2010): 143734officers (FTE)src
  • Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, table H3 (March 2026 release) reports police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2018): 122405officers (FTE)src
  • Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, table H3 (March 2026 release) reports police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2024): 147745officers (FTE)src
  • Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2026 release reports police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2026, latest): 145886officers (FTE)src

Notes

Home Office table H3 shows 143,734 full-time equivalent officers at 31 March 2010, 122,405 at 31 March 2018 (the lowest point in the table after 2010) and 147,745 at 31 March 2024.

The latest figure is 145,886 at 31 March 2026.

Each figure's own page, with every change: Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2010), Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2018), Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2024), Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2026, latest).

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Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2010)
Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2018)
Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2024)
Police officers, full-time equivalent, England and Wales (31 March 2026, latest)