Thames Valley Police says it is struggling to hit recruitment targets

As part of a Home Office programme, the force has funding to hire up to 598 new officers over three years

A police force says it is struggling to sign up new recruits as part of a government scheme to increase the number of officers across the country.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said hiring the officers it needs next year would be a "real challenge".

It said the high cost of living and low unemployment in the area was making it tough to attract suitable candidates.

The force has funding to hire up to 598 new officers over three years as part of a Home Office programme.

It said although the scheme was a "massive boost", it "only just mitigates" cuts over the last decade.

'Robust plans'

The officers are being hired through the Police Uplift Programme, which seeks to increase the number of police nationally by 20,000.

But papers that will be seen by the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel on Friday show recruitment will "prove even more challenging" in 2023.

A spokesperson said planned retirements, the relatively high cost of living across the Thames Valley, low levels of unemployment and "increased activity in the recruitment market" following the pandemic will make recruiting staff more difficult for the force.

TVP predicts it will need nearly 400 new full-time officers just to maintain its current staffing levels next year, mainly due to retirements, along with about 200 new roles coming on top from the government programme.

If the scheme targets are met, the force will eventually end up with 4,377 full-time equivalent officers, a 5.6% increase on before the programme started.

In a statement, a TVP spokesperson said: "We are confident that we have robust plans in place to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the Police Uplift Programme."