This release contains statistics on the numbers of police officers, police staff, police community support officers (PCSOs), designated officers, special constables and police support volunteers (PSVs) in post on 31 March 2023. The statistics cover all the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. Also, data from the British Transport Police (BTP), and from the National Crime Agency (NCA) are provided in the accompanying data tables, though their figures are largely excluded from analysis within this report and do not count towards the England and Wales total (which relates to the 43 territorial forces only).

Unless otherwise stated, total workforce figures quoted in the bulletin include those on career breaks or other forms of long-term absence, as well as those seconded into police forces from other forces or central services. It excludes those seconded out from forces to central services. The workforce figures in this release are all presented on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis unless indicated otherwise. The accompanying data tables provide the same information on a headcount basis.