Government must ensure vital public services are not stretched post-Brexit
Three per cent of London’s police force is made up of EU nationals, emphasising the talent that the UK could lose as a result of Brexit, according to new data released exclusively by Opal Transfer, the leading European money transfer service.
Of the 40,603 police officers, staff, and community support officers, there are 1,038 police officers, staff, and community support officers that are EU nationals currently working for the Metropolitan Police in London. Irish (381), Polish (198), and Romanians (67) make up nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of all EU nationals working for the capital’s police.
Italian (63), Portuguese (49), and Lithuanian (42) are the other EU-countries in the Top 10 nationalities that make up the Metropolitan Police.
Opal Transfer says that this highlights the talent that the Metropolitan Police stands to lose should Brexit result in stricter immigration policies.
Opal Transfer adds that any restrictions on the number of EU-nationals allowed to come to the UK could mean the Met Police misses out on some of the best talent available. Without its European staff, London’s police force would be weaker.
Policing was a key issue in the recent General Election, and reported staffing crises would not be helped by stricter immigration policies post-Brexit that could prevent potential recruits entering the UK.
Gita Petkevica, director of Opal Transfer, said: “It’s clear that the best police force is the one that can attract the best recruits from the broadest pool of talent. Anything that reduces the number of applicants from non-UK nationals would work against that.”
“The Government has to consider the impact that tightening immigration rules on EU nationals could have on the police and wider public services.”
“It could be a case of the Government cutting their nose off to spite its face – London’s public services are already stretched.”
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