FREE now SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Make the most of your money by signing up to our newsletter fornow We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Chiefs are struggling to fill vacancies because of the rate at which experienced officers are quitting the force, it is claimed. And three-quarters of forces admit they cannot find enough specialist detectives. The figures are revealed in official papers which also detail how experienced officers are quitting the service in their droves amid growing demands and violent crime.

2,400 senior officers have quit since April 2018

More than 2,400 have left their jobs since April 2018, documents from the National Police Chiefs' Council show. The papers, submitted to the Police Remuneration Review Body earlier this week, reveal that 16 of England and Wales' 43 police forces missed recruitment targets by more than 25 percent. They include some of the largest forces in the country, including West Yorkshire and Merseyside. Warwickshire missed its target by a staggering 75 percent, documents show. The NPCC wrote: "Most have no trouble attracting initial applicants but, in some cases, the conversion rate is low. This suggests the calibre of applicants may not be of the quality required or there are potential issues with the recruitment process that lead to high attrition.

16 of England and Wales' 43 police forces missed recruitment targets

75 percent of police forces fail to recruit enough detectives

"The main reasons given for recruitment failures were personal reasons, change of mind and finding alternative employment. Discussions with newer recruits in focus groups suggest the length of time for the recruitment process to be completed may have a significant effect." Police chiefs also revealed an increasing number of forces are struggling to fill specific roles, with 33 of the 43 admitting that they are not recruiting enough detectives. The report also states that "2,424 officers voluntarily left the service [not including retirees] prior to completing their full potential pensionable service this year. This is up as 2,044 officers voluntarily left the service last year". The documents show that 711 officers quit the Metropolitan Police, 142 left Thames Valley Police and 112 left West Midlands Police.

Tim Loughton, of the Home Affairs Committee, yesterday told the Daily Express: "At a time when most forces are recruiting additional officers to restore numbers we previously saw, it is a false economy if we are not doing more to retain experienced officers to deal with increasingly complex crimes." Che Donald, of the Police Federation, said: "They are leaving because of the huge stresses they are under. "They feel they are not being looked after and say, 'I can get a less stressful job with a better home-life balance and more money elsewhere'. "A starting salary for a police officer is £18,000 but the House of Commons was recently advertising for a barista with a starting salary of £21,000.

A starting salary for a police officer is £18,000

"The impact on the service is that you don't have the right level of appropriately trained officers." Last night, the NPCC refused to stand by its own statistics, saying they were not "reliable" despite the figures being submitted to the Police Remuneration Review Body. A spokesman claimed some forces count transfers within the service as a "resignation".

CASE STUDY POLICE "poster girl" Laura Beal quit the service over "dangerous and damaging" cuts, despite appearing in a force recruitment campaign. Ms Beal was with Devon and Cornwall Police for 13 years before saying she felt it was "impossible to do her job to the best of her ability". Aged 19 she had followed her father into policing in 2004. She appeared on "you matter, we care" pos ters to promote women in the police force. But Ms Beal later quit after feeling "embarrassed at the way everyone is being treated".

Laura Beal, who featured on police posters