FRONTLINE police officer numbers in North Yorkshire have fallen by almost 15 per cent in the last 10 years.

Figures reveal that the frontline workforce at North Yorkshire Police - including PCs, PCSOs and special constables - fell by 238 officers between 2007 and 2017, a 14.7 per cent drop.

In 2017 - the most recent figures available - the force had 1,373 frontline officers, compared to 1,611 in 2007.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show the population of North Yorkshire has been a little more than 600,000 since 2007, meaning that in 2007 there was approximately one frontline officer per 372 people. By 2017, that figure was roughly one frontline officer per 437 people.

Temporary Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: “Neighbourhood policing has always been right at the heart of our service, and we do everything possible to focus on the frontline – despite the financial uncertainties that all public services face.

“We’ve done a great deal of work with our neighbourhood and other frontline teams, to ensure we have the right people in the right places, and that our officers and staff deal with victims in an effective and professional way.”

When North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan first came to office in 2012, she inherited 1,392 officers. In 2016 - when officer numbers fell to 1,343 - she pledged to return officer numbers to 1,400 and the number of PCSOs from 183 to 200 within two years.

She told The Press the crimes currently threatening residents and communities “now largely revolve around abuse, online activity or organised crime”, and “in many of those cases, police staff investigators are often the best way to take those cases forward”, rather than traditional ‘bobbies on the beat’.

Mrs Mulligan said: “My plea is to move the conversation onto police capacity, and more importantly, what our police officers are doing, rather than a fixation on numbers and numbers alone. The same is true of crime rates.

“Crime has been relatively stable in North Yorkshire compared to elsewhere, but it is the specific types of crime which is making policing harder and more complicated. A much greater proportion of crime nowadays requires serious investigation and work with partners, which just wasn’t the case even five years ago.”

The figures also reveal the proportion of female frontline officers in North Yorkshire Police has increased in the last 10 years.

In 2007, a little over 70 per cent of the force’s 1,611 frontline officers were male (1,130), compared to just 181 female officers.

By 2017, just over 62 per cent of frontline officers were male (857), with more than 37 per cent female (516). The number of female frontline officers increased by 185 per cent, and the number of male officers fell by 24 per cent.

The number of promotions gained by women in the same period also increased.

In 2007/08, women made up 27 per cent of all officers promoted - including a chief superintendent, three inspectors and three sergeants - while men accounted for 73 per cent - two inspectors and 17 sergeants.

The most recent figures available for promotions within the force date back to 2016/17 and show women made up 37.5 per cent of all officers promoted - including two chief officers, one superintendent, four chief inspectors, five inspectors and nine sergeants - while their male counterparts made up 62.5 per cent of promotions within the force - three superintendents, three chief inspectors, eight inspectors and 21 sergeants.

Last month, it was announced Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward would become Temporary Chief Constable following the retirement of Dave Jones, and Assistant Chief Constable Amanda Oliver recently said the number of women in senior roles at the force showed there was “no glass ceiling”.

TCC Winward said the force had “family-friendly policies such as flexible working, maternity support and career breaks”, in place, “many of which go beyond statutory requirements”.

She said: “We also have a positive action campaign to encourage more women to apply, and make sure they are not disadvantaged in the recruitment or promotion board process. There is also a mentoring scheme and a support group to champion women’s concerns in the workplace.”

*See tomorrow’s Press for more on the changing face of policing in the 21st Century.