Police Uplift Programme: New recruits survey paints positive overall policing picture

The vast majority of new police recruits are highly satisfied in their roles and have strong intentions to remain within the profession, a new report has revealed.

According to the Police Uplift Programme (PUP) New Recruits Onboarding Survey (2023) report, eight out of 10 new officers are satisfied in their roles and with the support they receive from their line managers. Meanwhile, more than seven in 10 say the role has met or exceeded their expectations.

It’s a similarly positive story when it comes to new officer retention, with more than seven in 10 new officers indicating they intend to stay in the service until retirement or pension age.

However, while the new findings are generally more positive than 2022’s survey, they are less positive across all key areas when compared to the 2021 survey. Furthermore, this year’s survey reveals that the experiences of new officers from minority ethnic backgrounds are not as positive as those of their white colleagues. Recruits over 40 years of age and those who had served longer than 12 months also responded less positively.

Finally, some new officer wellbeing challenges remain, with four in 10 new recruits saying they have ignored their personal life needs due to work strain and agreeing that tension and stress from work adversely affects the rest of their life

The PUP New Recruits Onboarding Survey (2023) report is based on the results of an online survey between late March 2023 and early May. Of the 11,765 officers invited to participate, 3,556 responded – a response rate of 30%.

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