MPS officers seving in the reserves of the armed forces

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.24.037968

I note you seek access to the following information:

The Met Police has a cap on the percentage of officers that can serve in the reserves of the armed forces. I have three questions relating to this.
What percentage cap is currently in place.
Of currently serving officers, what percentage are armed forces reservists.
If an individual is currently in the armed forces reserves, will they be able to remain in this position should they start a career in the MPS as a police officer.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full. Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Q1 - What percentage cap is currently in place.

To make sure we have enough officers available to properly police London, we have a maximum limit of 1% of our overall Police Officer strength that can be reserve force members.

Q2 - Of currently serving officers, what percentage are armed forces reservists.

As of 28 May 2024, there are 34719 current serving officers recorded on the nominal roll and 247 on the Reservist list.

The percentage of armed forces reservists are 0.71%

Q3 - If an individual is currently in the armed forces reserves, will they be able to remain in this position should they start a career in the MPS as a police officer.

If a police officer is already a member of the Reserve Force when they join the MPS, they will not be restricted by the 1% limit. Their name will be added to a list of active members once they have notified the MPS of the date they joined the Reserve Force.