FOI: Police officer recruitment progression and early attrition
Case reference FOI2026/01842
Received 14 September 2026
Published 12 October 2026
Request
1. Recruitment stages For each of 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26, please provide the number of applicants recorded at each stage of your police officer recruitment process. For each stage, please include the numbers who passed, failed or withdrew, where these outcomes are recorded. Please use your own stage names.
2. Demographic breakdowns For the same three years, please provide the number at each recruitment stage, separately by: - ethnicity; - age group; and - sex. Please use the categories already held by your force. I am not requesting combinations of characteristics or individual-level data. Existing small-number suppression may be applied.
3. Early voluntary departure For officers who started employment in 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, please provide the number who voluntarily left within: - six months; - 12 months; and - 24 months. Please state whether the figures are cumulative. If already recorded, please also provide the reason categories and the number in each category.
4. Existing materials Please provide copies or links to any realistic job-preview material or existing reports evaluating police officer recruitment, applicant withdrawal or early voluntary departure that are not already published on your website.
Response
Question 1 – Recruitment Stages
The City of London Police operated two police officer entry routes during the period requested:
|
Programme |
Number of Applicants |
|
Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) |
133 |
|
Direct Entry Detective Constable Programme |
137 |
The recruitment-stage information held and readily available is provided below.
2023/24 – PCEP
|
Stage |
Percentage |
|
Interviewed |
24% |
|
Did Not Attend Interview |
31% |
|
Failed |
34% |
|
Passed |
34% |
2023/24 – Direct Entry Detective Constable
|
Stage |
Percentage |
|
Interviewed |
26% |
|
Failed |
50% |
|
Passed |
50% |
No further recorded recruitment-stage breakdowns for 2024/25 and 2025/26 are held in a format that can be readily extracted within the cost limits prescribed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The information requested for those years is therefore not held in a retrievable format for the purposes of this request.
Question 2 – Demographic Breakdowns
Student Officer Joiners
|
Category |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
|
Total Student Joiners |
22 |
22 |
8 |
Ethnicity
|
Category |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
|
Ethnic Minority |
23% |
14% |
13% |
|
Not Stated / Prefer Not to Say |
5% |
0% |
0% |
|
White |
73% |
86% |
88% |
Sex
|
Category |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
|
Male |
77% |
50% |
50% |
|
Female |
23% |
50% |
50% |
Age Group
|
Category |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
|
Under 26 |
73% |
64% |
63% |
|
26–40 |
27% |
32% |
38% |
|
41–55 |
0% |
5% |
0% |
|
56 and Over |
0% |
0% |
0% |
Recruitment Stage Demographics – 2023/24 PCEP
Ethnicity
|
Category |
Passed |
Did Not Attend |
Failed |
Withdrawn |
|
Ethnic Minority |
45% |
40% |
36% |
71% |
|
White |
45% |
60% |
64% |
29% |
|
Prefer Not to Say |
9% |
- |
- |
- |
Age
|
Category |
Passed |
Did Not Attend |
Failed |
Withdrawn |
|
Under 26 |
55% |
20% |
45% |
79% |
|
26–40 |
45% |
70% |
27% |
14% |
|
41–55 |
- |
- |
27% |
7% |
|
Prefer Not to Say |
- |
10% |
- |
- |
Gender
|
Category |
Passed |
Did Not Attend |
Failed |
Withdrawn |
|
Male |
82% |
80% |
91% |
86% |
|
Female |
9% |
20% |
9% |
14% |
Recruitment Stage Demographics – 2023/24 Direct Entry Detective Constable
Ethnicity
|
Category |
Passed |
Failed |
Withdrawn |
|
Ethnic Minority |
17% |
28% |
43% |
|
White |
78% |
67% |
52% |
|
Prefer Not to Say |
6% |
6% |
4% |
Age
|
Category |
Passed |
Failed |
Withdrawn |
|
Under 26 |
83% |
44% |
48% |
|
26–40 |
17% |
50% |
48% |
|
41–55 |
- |
6% |
4% |
Gender
|
Category |
Passed |
Failed |
Withdrawn |
|
Male |
67% |
83% |
74% |
|
Female |
28% |
17% |
26% |
|
Prefer Not to Say |
6% |
- |
- |
Question 3 – Early Voluntary Departure
The number of officers who voluntarily left within the specified periods is shown below:
|
Cohort Year |
0–6 Months |
7–12 Months |
13–24 Months |
|
2021/22 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
|
2022/23 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
|
2023/24 |
5 |
11 |
5 |
These figures represent departures occurring within each period and are not cumulative.
No further breakdown by reason category is held in a format suitable for disclosure.
Question 4 – Existing Materials
The City of London Police has identified no additional realistic job preview material or internal reports evaluating police officer recruitment, applicant withdrawal or early voluntary departure that are suitable for disclosure and which are not already available through our published information.
Information published by the force can be accessed through our publication scheme and disclosure log:
-
City of London Police Publication Scheme
-
City of London Police Disclosure Log
Documents
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