More Met Police Officers Voluntarily Leaving Than Those Retiring.

The Metropolitan Police is facing one of the biggest challenges in its history- more officers are leaving voluntarily than those reaching retirement, and London now has fewer police officers per head of population than at any point in the past decade.

Recent figures show that as of March 2025, the Met has around 310 officers per 100,000 Londoners. Just two years ago, that figure was 342 per 100,000, and back in 2012 it was closer to 350 per 100,000. That steady decline tells a worrying story about the pressures facing the force.

While retirements are expected, what is striking is the number of officers choosing to walk away from the job. Voluntary resignations now outstrip retirements, a trend that highlights the strain on officer morale. Long hours, increasing levels of violence at protests, pay disputes, and public criticism all play a part in why more officers are choosing to leave policing behind.

The consequences for Londoners are very real. A falling officer-to-population ratio means stretched response times, fewer neighbourhood patrols, and less visible policing in our communities. With events, protests, and emergencies taking up significant numbers of officers every week, there are simply fewer officers left to cover everyday calls for service.

The Met is now trying to plug the gaps by moving staff from behind desks and into frontline duties, but this can only go so far. Police chiefs have repeatedly warned that the capital is facing unprecedented demand at a time when officer numbers are heading in the wrong direction.

Londoners deserve a properly resourced police service, yet the numbers tell a stark story: fewer officers, lower ratios, and more pressure on the ones who remain.

We have some truly outstanding officers who do an incredible job across our communities. They need to be funded properly and they need their welfare needs met correctly.

Please see further facts and figures below.

• Met had 1,283 officers resign voluntarily in 2023 compared to 707 officers retiring normally.
• So in 2023, resignations in the Met were significantly higher than retirements
• From the data and related reports:
• Many voluntary resignations are from newer officers — lots of those leaving have less than five years of service.
• Reasons cited include work-life balance, disillusionment with the force or policing, better offers, stress, or feeling under-supported. In a Met exit survey, “Disillusionment with policing or the Met” was the most common reason.
• The trend means forces are losing more of the less experienced officers, which may affect things like continuity, training mentoring, and increasing the relative burden on senior and more experienced staff.

Graph credit: Alan Wright.

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