Only one in 58 police officers is out on patrol at any given time, despite an increase in officer numbers, new Home Office figures show.

 

Just 2,400 out of a record 143,000 officers in England and Wales are out deterring criminals and reassuring the public - about four per town of 90,000 people - while more than twice as many are back at the police station doing paperwork.

 

The findings highlight the impact of Whitehall-imposed targets and red tape, say rank and file officers and Opposition MPs.

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Jan Berry, the chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "People hear about a record 143,000 officers and it sounds a lot, but the reality, as these new figures show, is quite different."

 

Of the 81,877 officers who patrol, including detectives and traffic police and neighbourhood watch teams, only just over 17,000 will be on duty for an average eight-hour shift, when shift patterns, holidays and sick leave are taken into account.

 

Figures released to Parliament by Tony McNulty, the Police Minister, show that officers spend only 14 per cent of their time actually on patrol, so that 2,400 are out and about at any one time.

 

 

But do 33mph in a 30mph zone....... :rolleyes:

why would our poor, put-upon policemen be actually walking, patrolling the streets, when they're too busy loitering in their comfy cars on roadsides night after night like horny doggers, checking out cars for speeding or minus a back light....?