A RECORD number of police officers voluntarily resigned from Northumbria Police last year, new figures show.

The Police Federation of England and Wales said demand is outstripping police resources as the number of officers voluntarily resigning is at its highest across the two nations.

Home Office figures show 68 full-time police officers voluntarily left Northumbria Police in the year to March. It is up from 61 the year before and the highest number since records began in 2006-07.

Including officers who retired or were fired, a total of 216 left the force last year.

It meant Northumbria Police had a leavers rate of six per cent, excluding transfers to other forces.

Across England and Wales, a record high of 4,575 full-time officers voluntarily resigned from policing last year. It was a 33 per cent increase from 3,433 in 2021-22.

Overall, the leavers rate also reached its highest level at 6.6 per cent.

Police Federation of England and Wales national chair, Steve Hartshorn, said: "Our members are doing their utmost to protect the public, but demand is continuing to outstrip resources.

"It is paramount the service not only recruits, but retains, which will only be possible if pay and conditions are improved, to give members of the public the service they deserve."

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “Northumbria is facing the same challenges as the rest of the country but where we have really been hit the hardest is with funding for recruitment.

"When the government promised 20,000 new cops on our streets everybody expected that we’d see a return to our 2010 numbers here in Northumbria. The government’s national recruitment programme is over and we are still waiting for 427 officers. Recruitment needs to be about growing and strengthening numbers not simply replacing those who retire or leave. The government needs to give us back our cops.”

Northumbria Police force grew from 3,573 officers in 2022 to 3,807 in 2023.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We have delivered a record number of police officers across England and Wales. We made it very clear to police forces that this large investment means we expect officer numbers to be maintained and they should have robust plans in place to ensure this."