Merseyside Police is set to have a budget of £452.2 million starting in April, an increase of £27.6m on the current year, as police numbers in the Force passed 4,000.
Across England and Wales, there were 147,430 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in the 43 police forces as at 31 March 2023 - the highest number of officers since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003) and is 3,661 FTEs (2.5%) higher than the previous peak of 143,769 FTE in March 2009.
Home Secretary James Cleverly has thanked police officers:
Policing is as hard a job as it is possible to do. On any shift, at any time, you could find yourself confronted with an almost impossible situation.
The line between making the right choice and getting it wrong is often narrow; and the impact on you and your loved ones is potentially life-changing. But, despite all of that, you choose to do it. Not because you have to, but because you care about your communities and you want to keep them safe.
