Team Lopez – Julia Lopez MP has welcomed the announcement that 1,708 police officers have been recruited to the Metropolitan Police since September 2019, bringing the total number of officers up to 33,651. The latest figures are part of the Conservative Government’s drive to get 20,000 more police officers on the street by 2023.

In total, an extra 9,814 police officers have been recruited across all 43 police forces in England and Wales, bringing the total number of police officers in England and Wales up to 138,574 – where they are already having an impact in tackling crime and keeping communities safe.

The recruitment drive is also helping to make police more representative of the communities they serve. More than 6,000 female officers have been recruited since April 2020, making up more than four in ten of all new recruits.

There are also more black, Asian and other ethnic minorities employed as officers across forces than at any other time in the country’s history, making up over one in ten of the new recruits.

The latest figures follow the launch of the Conservative Government’s Beating Crime Plan – aimed at reducing crime, protecting victims and making the country safer.

The plan includes ensuring each neighbourhood has named, contactable police officers, who know their area and are best placed to ensure that persistent crime and anti-social behaviour is tackled - a pledge made more possible by the increase in police numbers.

This builds on the action taken by the Conservative Government since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister two years ago – including boosting police funding to a record £15.8 billion, passing the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill through the House of Commons, and delivering £45 million through the Safer Streets Fund to make neighbourhoods secure.