Met Police officer numbers drop as force calls for 'thousands of applicants' in new recruitment drive
18 July 2024, 00:01 | Updated: 18 July 2024, 09:06
The Met Police launches a recruitment drive
The head of the Metropolitan Police has told LBC that the number of officers in the police has dropped, as he launched a major recruitment drive.
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Sir Mark Rowley said he wanted thousands of people to apply for jobs at the Met, which currently has over 37,700 officers. The commissioner said earlier this year that there were around 5,000 fewer officers in the force than ten years previously.
From Thursday, Londoners will see the force's Change Needs You campaign aimed at driving up the number of new constables in the capital's police force.
Adverts will be displayed on billboards, the Tube and on social and digital platforms.
The Met has endured several high-profile scandals in recent years - the most notorious being the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens.
Speaking to LBC about the Met's recruitment drive, Sir Mark said: “[We’re looking for] somebody who makes a difference. The thing that strikes me about policing, it’s a career with a purpose.
“It’s where you can really feel you’re doing something valuable. I think there'll be a lot of people out there who are doing jobs…that are thinking, it pays the rent but it’s not really exciting me.
“If you can find a career which every day you get up and you’re excited about it and think it’s worthwhile, that’s the greatest gift you can have.”
Learn more about the Metropolitan Police's recruitment drive here.
Metropolitan Police launches major recruitment drive
A report last year by Baroness Casey found that the force was institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic.
Sir Mark, who took on the top job in 2022, admitted that the force has "some problems" but that he was "confronting" them with his 'New Met for London' plan.
He said: "We’ve got tens of thousands of fantastic people in the organisation. Yes, we have some problems but we’re confronting them. Those stories are public because we’re confronting them. We’re changing, we’re improving.
"We use the word change because this is about coming and making a change in communities and make a difference you live; come and make a change for yourself, build your skills and experiences and help us change a great organisation and make it better and help us sort out our issues."
The Met said in a statement that the campaign is closely aligned to the force's plan for reform.
The force said that courage, empathy and respect define a police officer, and is calling out for people who share those values to be part of helping drive change.
The central message of the advertising campaign is: "Change is hard, it's easier to do nothing. Change is not for everyone... but you're not everyone."
A former prison officer, a Big Brother finalist, a twin and former cabin crew are among the 13 serving Met constables with varied backgrounds in the campaign.
Pc Akeem Griffiths, 32, who now responds to 999 calls across Lewisham, was a runner-up in the Big Brother TV reality show in 2018.
He graduated from Hendon Police Training School as the "top student" in his intake and before joining the force, he designed and delivered customer service training.
PC Akeem Griffiths, who was the runner up in the 2018 Big Brother house, said he thought he was "probably the first person who’s been on television to join the police – but hopefully it promotes others to do it too."
He added: "Although they’re completely different the morals remain the same. I really wanted to embed the experiences that I’ve taken took away from realty television to the Metropolitan Police and it’s really set me up for a career for life.”
Asked if his colleagues ever tease him about his past career, PC Griffiths said: “Absolutely, every day but in a positive way. It’s an achievement – it’s not everyday somebody can say they’ve been on Big Brother. When a call comes out you put yourself up on the radio for it, but I always used to turn up second, so they joked ‘oh, runner up again’.”
PC Griffiths said his partner was also a police officer. Asked whether they now have a competition over who can do the job better, he said: “I joined to bridge the gap between members of the public and the police because my partner works for the police and I know the good she does every single day but people don’t see the good – they only see the negative.
“Every morning, we set out the rules and whoever loses cooks the dinner… I’ve cooked every day."
Sir Mark Rowley answers questions from LBC listeners: Watch again
PC Kiara Baker said she grew up in South Africa and was afraid of the police there.
"I wanted to make a change and by studying law and criminology I kind of studied policing and victimisation and through that I fell in love with the justice system.
"Where I feared the police in South Africa I think I take that into my role now and I understand the police is heavily scrutinised now in London, but I take that in my day to day and make sure people aren’t fearing us.
"When we are speaking to people every day on the street, I want them to know that they can approach us, and they can report their problems."
Sir Mark also described his own decision to join the police as a teenager.
He said: "I was 17 and was looking at a leaflet on forensic science and I thought that’s not quite what I wanted to do. Then I said: ‘I know, I’ll join the police’.
"I’ve never regretted it; candidly, I would say myself, best decision I’ve made in my life. I’ve loved every minute of it and if you can love your career, it’s a great gift."
