London Police Drop Out Rates A Cause For Concern - Teather

12.01.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 13th Dec 2007

Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather has revealed new figures that show one in every twenty new recruits leaves the Metropolitan Police within two years.

Sarah has also learnt that, although there are 460 unfilled police vacancies in London, a "funding gap" has forced the metropolitan police into "a slow down in police recruitment activity".

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to make policing a more attractive profession by streamlining excessive forms and paperwork, and by using civilian auxiliary staff in the police station to allow officers to spend more time out on frontline duties.

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather said:

"Our local police do an excellent job. But these early drop out rates reveal that the Government has failed to get a grip on low levels of morale.

"We need to allow our police to do the job they were trained to do, by cutting down on bureaucracy and form filling so they can spend more time out on patrol.

On the Metropolitan Police's admission that a funding gap has forced them to slow down officer recruitment in London, Sarah Teather added:

"People want to see more police on our streets not less. It is outrageous that the Government have left our police with a funding gap which is impacting on police numbers.

"The Government should scrap their costly and ineffective ID cards plan and use the money to invest in more police officers instead."