Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase recruitment and retention in the Ministry of Defence Police.

Officer recruitment is dependent on a number of factors including operational need and changes in Defence priorities. As a result, our recruitment targets fluctuate throughout the year. Recruitment is kept under constant review and is driven by Defence requirements and takes account of the number of leavers and joiners at any given time.

There are currently recruitment and retention issues affecting policing nationally. To counteract this, we target our recruitment campaigns in locations facing the most acute recruitment challenges, and we use a variety of outreach methods to promote opportunities to join the Force, including social media; events; briefings; and our recruitment website.