Why Are Police Recruitment Numbers So Low? Is Negative media To Blame?

Across the UK, police forces are facing an uphill battle: recruiting and retaining officers. Despite multiple government-backed campaigns to boost numbers, the reality is that many forces continue to struggle with vacancies. But why? What’s causing this recruitment crisis? And does the media play a role?

Over the years, the image of the police officer has changed drastically. Once viewed as a pillar of the community, today’s officers often find themselves under constant scrutiny — not just from the public, but from the very people they serve. A significant shift in public perception, fuelled by an unrelenting stream of negative headlines, has made many question whether a career in policing is worth it. Potential recruits are put off before they’ve even filled in an application form.

“Why would I want to join a profession where people assume the worst about me before I’ve even started?” It’s a fair question — and one that’s being asked more frequently by the next generation.

There’s no denying that the media plays an important role in holding institutions to account. But in recent years, coverage of policing has taken a particularly harsh tone. Misconduct, racism, sexism, excessive force — these issues rightly need to be reported, but when they dominate the news cycle, they create a sense that the entire profession is broken. While there are bad apples in every profession, it’s often the exception, not the rule, yet the public rarely hears about the everyday bravery and compassion shown by officers on the frontline. This lopsided representation leads to low morale, public distrust, and fewer people willing to put themselves forward for a job that feels increasingly thankless.

The rise of social media has added another layer of pressure. Every action a police officer takes can be filmed, edited, and shared globally within seconds. They face relentless online criticism, often from people who have never experienced the dangers or demands of the role. In fact, it’s become common to see so-called keyboard critics or armchair experts proclaiming how much better they could do the job, without ever understanding the risks involved.

One officer said: “The worst part is knowing that when something goes wrong, you’ll be torn apart online — even if you did everything right.” This atmosphere breeds hesitation and fear, making it even more difficult for those in uniform to do their job — and even harder to recruit others into it.

Negative media coverage is just one part of the story. The recruitment crisis is also fuelled by a number of structural issues: real-terms pay cuts and longer shifts make the job less attractive; officers are leaving due to burnout, PTSD, and trauma, with insufficient support available; and many feel their forces are underfunded and overstretched, unable to offer the support and development new recruits need. On top of that, police officers are expected to deal with complex societal problems like mental health, domestic abuse, knife crime, and child exploitation — often with very little backup.

Recent data highlights the scale of the challenge. As of September 2024, there were 146,868 full-time equivalent police officers in England and Wales — a decrease of 878 officers since March. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) had 35,310 officers in 2024, marking a decline compared to the previous year. In August 2024, the MPS hired only five new police officers, representing less than 1% of the total workforce. The MPS is also facing a budget shortfall of £260 million.

Forces across the UK are full of hardworking, compassionate individuals who risk their lives daily. From pulling people out of burning buildings, to preventing suicides, to comforting victims at crime scenes — these acts rarely make the front page. Instead, the profession is too often represented by scandal. This disparity contributes to a sense of abandonment from both the public and government, which in turn fuels low morale and higher resignation rates.

The majority of these officers joined this profession to make a difference — and they do an outstanding job every day across the streets of London, what few we have left. Yet according to our delightful keyboard critics, they spout nothing but rubbish.

To truly tackle the recruitment crisis, there needs to be a cultural shift — both internally and externally. Some steps that could help include more balanced media reporting, meaningful mental health support, improved pay and conditions, and campaigns that show the diversity and humanity behind the badge.

There’s no doubt that police forces across the UK face serious internal challenges. But when you pair those with external pressures — such as relentless media criticism, online abuse, and a loss of public trust — the result is a shrinking workforce and a recruitment crisis that could take years to reverse. Until we strike a fairer balance and rebuild the image of the everyday officer, we risk continuing to lose the very people we rely on to keep our communities safe.

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