40% of coppers didn’t make a SINGLE arrest last year as critics blast decline of the traditional bobby on the beat

TWO in five police officers failed to make a single arrest last year, a Sun investigation can reveal.

The findings will pile pressure on police chiefs over concerns that too many officers are tied up away from the front line, fuelling fears about the decline of the traditional bobby on the beat.

Freedom of Information responses from 16 out of 43 police forces reveal that 35 per cent of officers made no arrests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, rising to 40 per cent last year.

Government figures show police across England and Wales made 754,000 arrests last year — almost half the 1.47 million recorded in 2008 — despite 6.5million crimes logged by forces in the year ending March 2026.

Meanwhile the number of police officers has increased by around 4,700 since 2008, with 145,886 full-time equivalent officers now serving across England and Wales.

But some of these new recruits may have been hired straight into desk jobs.

Most read in The Sun

CHURCH ‘RAPE’

Bishop ‘raped girl, 15, in church and kissed her on pilgrimage to holy town’

PURE EVIL

Ex-partner of ‘Gisele Pelicot 2.0’ whose wife died reveals abuse she suffered

ZOO-PER GAFFE

Top UK zoo mocked for labelling kids’ tickets as ‘child predator tour’

TRAGIC SMASH

My son, 11, died after scaffolding fell from van & smashed into car window

And last year, The Sun also revealed how one Met Police officer had been working from home for over seven years, along with around 200 of his colleagues.

Insiders insist the number of arrests is not a measure of productivity, especially when thousands of officers are tied up in specialist roles such as cybercrime, safeguarding and intelligence.

But former Met Detective Peter Bleksley told The Sun: “This staggering lack of arrests by so many desk-bound officers has clearly resulted in the rampant lawlessness we see plaguing our streets.

“Get them away from the comfort of their desks and chairs, and where they belong: on the beat and on the job.

“Arresting people is often confrontational and messy. Modern day social work type officers hate that kind of grubby stuff, and head for the comfort of a desk or promotion as soon as they can.

“If the streets are ever to be regained, then tough coppers need to get out there and nick people by the van load, day after day after day.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for workforce, Chief Constable Jason Hogg, said: “Bringing offenders to justice remains at the heart of policing, but arrest figures alone do not provide a complete picture of police activity or performance.

“Officers and staff spend much of their time investigating crime, safeguarding vulnerable people, finding missing individuals and carrying out proactive patrols – vital work that does not always result in an arrest.

“As crime becomes increasingly complex, bringing offenders to justice often requires the collective efforts of teams across policing, working together to gather evidence, support victims and build cases.

“In recent years, policing has seen positive outcomes, including an increase in the proportion of crimes resulting in charges and significant reductions in areas such as violent crime. Continuing to deliver these outcomes, improve public safety and strengthen confidence in policing remains our priority.”