Over One Hundred Local Police Vacancies Unfilled
West Area Basic Command struggling to get to full strength
Picture: Ged Cann
A Hounslow Council committee has heard that problems with recruitment have left the local police service short of over 100 police officers or around 10% of their full strength.
The Scrutiny Panel was recently given a presentation in which Superintendent Mark Payne told committee members that the West Area Basic Command Unit (WABCU), created after the amalgamation of Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow police forces in June, had struggled to recruit officers. The vacancies make up approximately a tenth of the entire command area, according to figures shown during the meeting.
He said that the WABCU will be back up to full strength by September with roughly 140 vacancies soon to be filled.
Supt Payne told Monday’s Scrutiny Panel: “We’ve got the money, we couldn’t get the officers.”
Councillor Richard Eason warned that confidence had been shaken in some communities by the long standing vacancies.
He said for the last two years, positions would regularly remain empty for several months, with little information shared until a new arrival appeared at the post.
Supt Payne reassured councillors that 40 probationary staff would be arriving in the coming weeks, with the rest arriving in two separate groups before September.
The total retinue of staff employed didn’t change after the creation of the BCU, going from 1,439 to 1,441. However Supt Payne said this figure didn’t take into account the empty positions that were not renewed after the changeover.
He was not able to say how many of these unfilled positions had been lost. He said: “Once we have those in place I think I’ll be standing here with a much brighter picture.”
He said officers’ probation periods lasted for two years, and it would take six months to a year for them to become skilled emergency response team officers.
The council committee welcomed the news, particularly on the back of figures that showed overall offending had increased since the start of the year after a long period of decline.
Supt Payne said: “The rise in Hounslow is below what we would expect on average across London but it’s still a concern for us. London is bubbling a bit.”
Committee Chair Vickram Grewal said the additional forces were very welcome much needed to combat rising crime.
Written with contributions from Ged Cann – Local Democracy Reporter
May 8, 2019