A majority of police officers who left the Met between December 2021 and April 2023 left due to “disillusionment with the Met or policing” new statistics have revealed.
The data, requested by the Liberal Democrats shows that of the officers who exited the force, 22 per cent said the main reason they were leaving was due to “disillusionment with the Met or policing”.
This was followed by 13 per cent each for “work-life balance” and “career change” and 11 per cent noted a “more attractive job offer elsewhere”. Approximately 3% cited ‘harassment, bullying, discrimination’ as the main reason for leaving.
Previously released data showed that 1,160 full-time police officers voluntarily left the Met Police in the year 2022-2023, the highest numbers since records began in 2006.
The Liberal Democrats have warned that low morale in the service could place frontline policing in jeopardy if it continues, especially if new recruitment numbers continue to be below those leaving the force.
However, around 40 per cent of officers leaving the force failed to specify the reasons why they were leaving with the Lib Dems calling for exit interviews to include mandatory questions for why officers are leaving the force in order to gain a full picture of the reasons behind the high levels of resignation.
The data comes on the back of the Met being the only police force in England and Wales to not meet its recruitment targets which resulted in the UK Government pulling £31 million in recruitment funding from the service.
Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Police & Crime Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon said, “It is not surprising that after the recent few years of scandal, many officers in the Met are disillusioned with the service and policing.
“But these figures are even more worrying because they suggest a lack of confidence among officers that the situation can be turned around.
“If this tide of officers leaving the service is not stemmed soon it could begin to have a serious impact on frontline policing across the Capital.
“It is absolutely vital that every effort is made to ensure the Met is an attractive place to work going forward and not only for potential new recruits, but also for those officers already in the service.”
