Cambridgeshire Police Federation chair Liz Groom has called for better pay and conditions as new figures reveal the Force is struggling to hold on to new recruits.
Data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, obtained by Police Oracle, shows that Cambridgeshire Police’s attrition rate is the third highest in the country.
The figures show that in Cambridgeshire 49 out of 304 recruits have left during their probation period since the start of the Government’s uplift programme, an attrition rate of 16.1 per cent.
Only Northamptonshire (19.3 per cent) and North Yorkshire (16.8 per cent) have higher attrition rates.
On the lower end of the scale, Cumbria and North Wales each have a rate of 3.9 per cent, while Merseyside and West Midlands both recorded 5.4 per cent.
The data reveal that the average attrition rate is 9.1 per cent with 2,567 leavers from 28,173 new recruits.
Liz said: “Retention of our new recruits is vital or the whole uplift programme falls down. It’s not just about getting new recruits through the door but ensuring they are rewarded fairly. Indeed, our recent pay and morale survey found that 93 per cent of officers in Cambridgeshire don’t feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job.
“Policing is tough and officers deserve decent pay, better benefits, more investment in mental health, and equipping them with the right skills for the reality of modern policing.
“We need it now right across the board to ensure that not only are we retaining our new recruits but that we’re also hanging on to our experienced officers as well.”
In January, the Federation aired its concerns when Home Office statistics revealed the uplift programme was just halfway towards meeting its target, and, if it does reach the numbers pledged, would only bring the service back to pre-austerity levels.
Data showed 11,048 officers have been recruited from funding for the Police Uplift Programme and contributed towards the target of 20,000 by March 2023.
If the 20,000 target is achieved, it would bring officer numbers up to around 148,000, which is slightly above the number of officers in 2010.