The truth about police numbers - does recruitment make up for the cuts?

Record numbers of police are leaving the force, while the government claims to have met its target for recruitment, writes John Rentoul

The Tories made a manifesto promise to put 20,000 extra officers on the street (iStock)

As we report today, the Home Office has published the detailed figures behind its claim to have met Boris Johnson’s manifesto promise to recruit an extra 20,000 police officers within three years.

These figures reveal that the target was met despite rising numbers of officers leaving the force – which raises doubts about whether the 20,000 “uplift” can be maintained for long.

What did the Conservative manifesto say?