Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Spending Review 2019, 1.4 Tackling Crime, how many and what proportion of the 2,000 officers planned to be recruited in the current (a) calendar year and (b) financial year will be (i) additional posts and (b) replacements for existing vacancies.

The Government has committed to increasing the number of police officers by an additional 20,000 over the next three years. Home Office will receive 750m for investment in policy 2020/21 to enable delivery of Y1 uplift. This includes up to 2,000 officers by the end of this financial year, through an additional £45m.

Up to 6,000 additional officers are to be recruited by the end if March 2021. These officers will be a genuine increase in police numbers taking into account replacments for exisiting vacancies in forces.