Andrew Dismore

28% of police officers in Barnet and Camden’s borough police forces now have less than two years in the job, new analysis from Labour London Assembly Member Andrew Dismore AM has revealed.

 

The number of officers with less than two years’ experience in Barnet and Camden has risen from 104 to 349 in the last three years. The increasing reliance on less experienced officers is putting significant pressure on the Met and could be contributing to a drop in the percentage of crimes which are being solved in the capital, Mr Dismore has warned.

 

London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden, Andrew Dismore AM, said:

 

“Of course we want to see new rookie officers in the Met, particularly if it helps to make the police reflect the make-up of our local community. But such a dramatic loss of experienced officers, especially sergeants, puts far greater strain on supervisors and results in a brain drain of local knowledge. The only reason I can see for pushing this through so fast was to drive down costs. Our police officers do a fantastic job, often in very challenging circumstances, but it’s vital they get all the support they need.”

 

Across London the number of sergeants in the Met has dropped from 6,069 in May 2010 to 3,072 in December 2015, while the number of officers with less than two years’ experience in London Boroughs soared from 1,706 to 5,005. In the last three years. Barnet and Camden has also seen an increase with 349 of 1241 officers now having less than two years’ experience.

 

 

 

The revelation comes only weeks after Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary warned that junior constables were being used to fill gaps in the detective ranks. The report raised concerns about the experience of some investigating officers saying an area the Met needed to improve was in “ensuring officers attending the scenes of crime are appropriately trained and equipped to record all available evidence.” Since 2010/11 the Met’s percentage of crimes solved has dropped from 24% to just 19% in 2015. Mr Dismore warned that the significant rise in new, less experienced officers could be contributing to the fall.

 

The Local Policing Model which Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson introduced in 2011, appears to have gone too far. The Mayor’s changes have shifted much more responsibility onto newly qualified officers whilst cutting supervisory ranks like sergeants.

 

ENDS

 

Notes

 

• The response to a Mayor’s Question detailing the number of officers with less than two years’ experience in London boroughs can be found here.
• A borough by borough analysis of the percentage of officers with less than two years’ experience can be found here.
• The number of Sergeants in the Met from 2010 – 2013 is taken from a Mayor’s question, and can be found here.
• The number of Sergeants in the Met from 2013 to the latest available data (December 2015) is provided by the Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime and can be found here.
• The number of police officers per borough ae taken from the London datastore and can be found here.
• Data setting out the rate of solved crime can be found here.
• Andrew Dismore AM is the London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden