New use of force statistics (published 5 December) show that the total number of use of force incidents passed the million mark for the first time since records began.
In the year ending 31 March 2024, there were 747,396 recorded incidents in which a police officer used force on an individual in England and Wales, which includes nearly 20,000 incidents involving BTP officers.
By way of direct comparison, there were 728,315 recorded incidents across the 43 police forces, 68,943 (+10%) up on the previous year, when there were 659,372.
The increase is 'likely due to continued improvements in the recording of use of force since the data collection began in the year ending 31 March 2018' say statisticians.
36 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales reported an increase in use of force incidents compared with the year ending 31 March 2023 (when 30 forces did so). Feedback from police forces and analysis of their force level data shows that these increases are likely due in part to the continued improvement in the recording of the most common use of force tactics.
By tactic
1,062,633 use of force tactics were recorded within the 747,396 use of force reports, with 91% of reports involving the use of 1 or 2 tactics. Excluding BTP, the number of tactics increased by 8% (+77,997) compared with the previous year.
Increases in the most common tactics used drove overall increases:
- restraint +7% (+44,011);
- unarmed skills +12% (+27,524); and
- other tactics +5% (+3,001))
Restraint tactics (eg handcuffing, limb or body restraints, ground restraint, etc) are typically the most common type of force used, totalling 62% (662,867) of all tactics employed, similar to the previous year. The majority of restraint tactics involved handcuffing (79% of restraint tactics), which in turn accounted for roughly half (49%) of all use of force tactics, similar to previous years.
The volume of firearms tactics increased from 5,890 in the year ending 31 March 2023 to 6,211 in the year ending 31 March 2024 (+455, +5%). The number of less lethal weapons (such as TASER®) levelled off.
By demographic
Overall, the spread of those experiencing police use of force by age and by sex remained similar to the year ending 31 March 2023.
Of the 747,396 use of force reports in the year ending 31 March 2024, 79% involved men (589,211) and almost half (48%) of use of force reports involved people aged 18 to 34 years (361,460 incidents). 11% of reports (85,148) involved those aged 17 and under.
Per tactic, the use of restraint tactics was proportionally lowest amongst children under 11 years old (31%). Police more often employed unarmed skills (batons, spray, spit and bite guards, shields) and other or improvised tactics on them, likely as an alternative to handcuffing, as per police guidance on personal safety.
Proportion of tactics used by type of tactic and age of person involved, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2024, data table 2
Use of force increased amongst all ethnic groups on last year; proportions remained similar, meaning that people from a Black ethnic group continued to be subjected to use of force roughly three times more often than their than those from a white ethnic group in police force areas in England and Wales.
Proportion of tactics used, by type, and gender of person involved, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2024, data table 3
The overall rate of use of force in England and Wales was 13 reports per 1,000 people in the year ending 31 March 2024. This rate was higher for men aged 18 to 34 years (46 per 1,000 people) and, of these, highest for those from a Black ethnic group (147 per 1,000 people). The rate was 40 per 1,000 people for white men in the same age bracket.
Proportion of use of force by age, gender and Black ethnic group, compared with the resident population, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2024
Proportion of use of force by age, gender and White ethnic group, compared with the resident population, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2024
Rate of CED use (so-called 'less lethal' weapons, such as TASERs®) remains highest for Black ethnic group, at roughly 4.5 times the rate of white people (3.5x when discharged, 4.5x when deployed but not discharged).
Reasons for use of force
The most reported reasons for using force were:
- for the reporting officer’s own protection (501,621 reports, 67%)
- the protection of other officers (437,827 reports, 59%)
- to assist in making an arrest (400,095 reports, 54%)
These proportions remained similar to the year ending 31 March 2023.
Top 5 reasons for using force, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2024, data table 6
The most commonly reported factors that had an impact on incidents where force was used were: alcohol (283,518 reports, 38%); the size, gender or build of the person involved (237,009 reports, 32%); and drugs (227,952 reports, 30%), and the most common outcome from use of force incidents was arrest (528,609 use of force reports, 71%, the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2023).