Recruitment drive delivers almost 9,000 additional police Latest statistics show government is 44% of the way towards meeting its ambition of hiring 20,000 additional police officers by 2023. From: Getty Images An extra 8,771 police officers have been recruited to cut crime and keep communities across the country safer as part of the government’s campaign to bring in 20,000 additional officers, new Home Office figures published today (Thursday 29 April) show. As of 31 March 2021, every one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales has hit or surpassed its first-year recruitment target since the launch of the Police Uplift Programme in September 2019. The new figures show that the government is already 44% of the way towards meeting its ambition of hiring 20,000 additional officers by 2023, with many of these new recruits already on the streets and doing their bit to protect neighbourhoods.