The police

Fact checks relating to the police, policing, funding of the police service and public perceptions of crime

18 May 2018

Police budgets, numbers and community policing

Police budgets, police officer numbers and community policing, we factcheck the claims.

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Police budgets, numbers and community policing
26 April 2018

What happened to violent crime in London since 2008?

Under Boris Johnson’s time as mayor the murder rate halved, though we can’t say for sure whether the rise in stop and searches was effective.

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What happened to violent crime in London since 2008?
20 April 2018

Stop and search: higher arrest rate?

The number of stop and searches fell by 78% between 2009/10 and 2016/17, with the proportion leading to arrests rising from 8% to 17% in the same period.

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Stop and search: higher arrest rate?
20 April 2018

How many stop and searches are knife crime related?

9% of successful stop and searches in London relate to possession of an offensive weapon, which includes knives, as well as other sharp weapons and acid.

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How many stop and searches are knife crime related?
10 November 2017

Is London losing 3,000 police officers?

Yes, according to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who says she expects this to happen by 2020.

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Is London losing 3,000 police officers?
13 September 2017

Have some police officers had a 32% pay rise?

Claims about police pay at PMQs aren’t likely to represent the experience of most officers.

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Have some police officers had a 32% pay rise?
10 August 2017

Stops and searches are becoming less common

The use of stop and search powers across England and Wales has fallen significantly over the past few years.

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Stops and searches are becoming less common
5 June 2017

Have armed police numbers been cut?

The number of armed police officers has fallen by about 700 since 2010, but numbers are currently on the rise.

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Have armed police numbers been cut?
16 May 2017

Labour Manifesto: Police Officers

We've factchecked claims from Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the Labour party manifesto launch.

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Labour Manifesto: Police Officers
29 March 2017

Police funding: up or down?

Are police budgets being cut? It depends which source of funding you count.

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Police funding: up or down?

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