were 10 years ago.”
His comments came after an officer was attacked with a machete in London, and another officer was run
over in Birmingham. Statistics show that assaults on police constables rose by 18 per cent to almost 31,
in 2018-19, as officers call for greater protection and support.
It is unclear whether the government is considering enhanced fast-track or direct entry schemes to slot new
recruits into the roles needing to be filled. Senior ranks have endured some of the largest cuts by proportion
and investigations have been hampered by a longstanding shortage of detectives.
“It’s not clear what the policy means – does it mean 20,000 pairs of boots walking on the streets?” Ch Supt
Griffiths asked. “That’s not what policing wants or needs.” He said the demands handled by police forces
had changed dramatically since 2010, amid rising cybercrime, fraud, historical offences and digital
investigations.
“As other agencies have pulled away through austerity, the police service has ended up carrying the baby,”
the officer added. “I think we have become more of a social service rather than an enforcement
organisation.”
Sir Thomas Winsor, HM chief inspector of constabulary, previously said the 20,000 uplift was “not the
most efficient and effective way of spending £1.1bn a year on policing”.
“You can’t recruit them all that quickly, they take 18 months to three years to train and not everyone who
wants to be an officer can,” Sir Thomas told journalists at a briefing last month. “You’ve got to invest to be
more efficient in the necessary technology and ways of doing things, and that will cost money too.”
The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank-and-file officers, said the uplift should
provide the “visible presence the public so desperately wants”.
Talking to The Independent about police numbers, Mr Apter said 80 per cent of the 21,000 officers lost
since 2010 had been on the front line, including in decimated neighbourhood teams. The government has to
acknowledge that, as violent crime increases and with the ever-present threat of terrorism, the cuts to the
service are coming home to roost and it is ultimately the public who are suffering as a result,” he added.
Mr Johnson made the pledge in his first speech as prime minister, vowing outside 10 Downing Street that
he would “make your streets safer”. In a slew of announcements, the government has also enhanced blanket
stop and search powers, vowed to create 10,000 more prison places in new jails, started a review that could
lengthen sentences and increased Crown Prosecution Service funding.
The Home Office said the new National Policing Board would organise how the 20,000 target is met and
confirmed that the figure would take departing officers into account. A spokesperson added: “This
government is taking urgent action to protect the public by recruiting 20,000 new police officers and we
are working with our policing partners to make this happen. We are determined to give the police the
powers and resources they need to keep us safe.”