Police officer resignations have risen by 72% in the last year – why?

Policing has long been known as a “job for life”. With low rates of leaving and high rates of loyalty, a career of 30 years or more was very much the norm. However, times have changed.

Government figures show that the number of voluntary resignations from the police service in England and Wales has increased by 72%, from 1,996 in 2021 to 3,433 in 2022. Voluntary resignations now account for 42% of all police leavers, compared to 33% in the previous year.

A decade ago in 2012, there were 1,158 voluntary resignations, accounting for just 18% of all leavers. In just ten years, voluntary resignations have increased by 196%.

For the last few years, researchers from the University of Portsmouth have interviewed nearly 100 former police officers across England and Wales who have voluntarily left the service. They wanted to know more about their reasons for leaving – negative public perceptions of policing, the nature of the job itself or other reasons entirely.

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