We welcome the announcement that the Metropolitan Police has been bolstered by an additional 1,369 officers since the Government launched its major police recruitment drive one year ago.

The addition of these new officers brings the total number of police across the Metropolitan Police up to 33,782, meaning there are now more frontline officers on our streets to keep the public safe.

Since the campaign launch, a total of 5,824 extra officers have joined police forces across England and Wales. These statistics confirm that the Government remains fully on track to meet its manifesto commitment of recruiting 20,000 extra officers by 2023, and is ahead of schedule to have the first 6,000 in place by March 2021.

The new statistics also show that the police workforce is now more diverse than ever before, with 10.7% of new recruits identifying as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and with 9,842 of all officers now being from these groups.

This recruitment drive is at the centre of the Government’s commitment to back the police with more resources, powers and support to keep the public and their communities safe.

Alongside the recruitment campaign, the Government is also boosting police pay by 2.5 per cent this year, equivalent to a constable receiving an extra £1,100, providing officers with an increase above inflation for the second year running, the largest pay rise in a decade.

A new police covenant will be enshrined into law, which will offer enhanced support and protection for frontline officers and the Government is bringing forward legislation to double the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaults on frontline staff including police officers, firefighters and paramedics.

Other steps to support our frontline officers include a £1.1 billion funding boost for police forces this year – the biggest increase in a decade, funding to provide over 8,000 more officers with Taser devices, and personalised new stop and search powers so that officers can effectively target repeat offenders.