How the thin blue line got thinner - police numbers mapped from 2010
manchestereveningnews.co.ukAs more riots and disorder threaten to break out this weekend in the wake of the Southport stabbings, police officer numbers have never been higher.
Yet data suggests the so-called thin blue line is being stretched thinner than ever. Home Office figures show that 147,746 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers were in post as of March 31 - the highest number since comparable records began in the year ending March 2003.
However, the growing size of the population in England and Wales means there are fewer officers to go around. The latest figures show there are 245 officers for every 100,000 of the population in England and Wales.
That's down from 264 officers for every 100,000 people in 2010, a difference of 19 bobbies. READ MORE: Police want to speak to these people after violent disorder unfolds outside Manchester hotel But there are huge differences around the country.
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