Police officer numbers (England and Wales)

Source: Home Office, series Police officers, full-time equivalent, 43 territorial forces (Table H3 and Table 1). Biannual on GOV.UK: figures for 31 March are published in July (22 July 2026 for March 2026) and figures for 30 September in January. Each release has its own .ods data tables with a new URL; the GOV.UK Content API for the release page lists them

What it measures

This is the number of police officers employed by the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, measured in full-time equivalents (FTE), on a single date. It excludes police staff, police community support officers (PCSOs), special constables and volunteers, which the Home Office reports separately, and the British Transport Police and National Crime Agency, which appear in the data tables but not the England and Wales total. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own single police services.

How to read it

Check whether a figure is FTE or headcount: headcount is higher because some officers work part time. Check also whether it includes officers seconded out or in training. Comparisons should use the same date each year, since recruitment is uneven across the year. The total police workforce (234,441 FTE in March 2026) is a different figure that includes staff and PCSOs. The proportion of officers in frontline roles and the number in neighbourhood roles come from function data, which changed definition in 2025, so trends there need care.

Background

Comparable Home Office records start in March 2003. Officer numbers fell in each year from 2010 to 2018, then rose between 2019 and 2024 while recruitment under the Police Uplift Programme was under way, peaking at 147,745 FTE in March 2024. On 31 March 2026 there were 145,886 FTE officers, 566 (0.4%) fewer than a year earlier and 1,859 below the peak. The Home Office reported record shares of female officers (36.8%) and ethnic minority officers (8.7%, excluding White minorities). Under the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood roles rose 22.2% to 20,989 FTE.

Other parts of the UK

Police Scotland: officer numbers · Home Office: police workforce release for 31 March 2026 (force-level tables)

How many police officers are there in England and Wales?

On 31 March 2026 there were 145,886 full-time equivalent police officers in the 43 territorial forces of England and Wales, according to Home Office figures published on 22 July 2026. That was 0.4% fewer than a year earlier and 1.3% below the March 2024 peak.

How many police officers are there in the UK?

There is no single UK release. Add the Home Office figure for England and Wales to the officer numbers published by Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland for the nearest date, using FTE throughout. The British Transport Police is reported separately by the Home Office.

Are police numbers going down?

Home Office figures show officer numbers fell by 566 FTE in the year to March 2026, after falling in the year to March 2025, which was the first year-on-year fall since 2018. Numbers remain higher than in 2019, before the Police Uplift Programme recruitment.

How many police officers are on the front line?

The Home Office reported 115,764 FTE officers in frontline roles on 31 March 2026, 90.5% of all officers. Frontline is a defined set of functions, including response, neighbourhood and investigation roles, so the share depends on how forces classify each post.

How many police officers are there in London?

The Home Office data tables give officer numbers for each of the 43 forces, including the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police. Use the force-level table for the same date as the national total.

Related questions

• How many police officers are there in England and Wales?
• How many police officers are there in Scotland?
• How many stop and searches do police carry out?
• Is crime going up or down in the UK?

More on this source: Home Office statistics (immigration, borders and policing)