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UK Scraps Officer Grant, Shifts Focus to Neighborhood Policing

1/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The Home Office will scrap the Officer Maintenance Grant and replace it with funding for neighborhood officers, per Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
The 2019 grant, introduced by Boris Johnson's government, aimed to recruit 20,000 officers by 2023 and was met.
The Labour government argues the grant created too many back-office officers.
Police numbers fell between March 2024 and March 2025, raising concerns about future recruitment.

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Story summary

The Home Office will scrap the Officer Maintenance Grant and replace it with funding for neighborhood officers, per Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
The 2019 grant, introduced by Boris Johnson's government, aimed to recruit 20,000 officers by 2023 and was met.
The Labour government argues the grant created too many back-office officers.
Police numbers fell between March 2024 and March 2025, raising concerns about future recruitment.