THE POLICE and Crime Commission has welcomed figures which show that officer numbers are up over the last four years.
The figures released by the government showed that nearly 600 officers had been recruited to Thames Valley Police since 2019.
As part of the national Uplift program, 582 recruits will have been brought into the force between September 2019 and March 2023.
This brings the total number of officers to 4,832 as of the end of December last year.
Welcoming the announcement, Matthew said: “The additional 582 police officers recruited, as part of the Uplift programme, will help to cut crime across Thames Valley, reassuring our communities that it is a safe place to live.
The Uplift program is a national initiative designed to meet the goal of 20,000 new officers set by the government to have been added to the force by March this year.
So far, more than 80% that target has been reached, with just over 16,750 new officers recruited as of September last year.
More than 145,000 officers are now thought to be working in the police according to statistics released by the Home Office quarterly.
“The Force is on track to exceed the Home Office target of 609 additional officers by the end of this financial year. As part of my plans to strengthen community policing, I am planning to increase the size of the Force by a further 80 police officers to help tackle crime in local communities.
“Recruitment continues across the Force for police officers, PCSOs and staff. You can find out more about joining Thames Valley Police at tvpcareers.co.uk.”
