Claim: The government has reached its target of recruiting 20,000 more police officers in England and Wales.
Fact-check: Government claims on police officer numbers don't tell the whole story - Full Fact
Verdict: this is correct, based on the increase between 2019 and march 2023. but the rise follows a fall in the number of police officers in the years prior to 2017, and there are currently only around 3,500 more officers than in 2010.
Organisation: Full Fact
Author: Hannah Smith;Tony Thompson
Date published: 2023-04-26T00:00:00