Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of detectives.

There are now a record number of police officers in England and Wales as a result of Police Uplift Programme.

It is clear that forces must continue to focus on recruiting, supporting and retaining detectives.

We therefore welcome the co-ordinated action that police forces, working with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council are taking to ensure all forces have adequate numbers of detectives to investigate crime. As part of the College’s Policing Education Qualifications Framework, a detective-specific entry route has been created under the Degree Holder Entry Programme to ensure investigators are at the standard required to be as effective as possible.

In addition, the Home Office has provided £5 million to Police Now in 2023/24 to enable forces to recruit and train participants on the National Detective Programme, to help bridge any gap in detective numbers for forces.