The force only added 92 officers to its ranks in the year to September, despite increasing its officer numbers by 224 the previous year.

In September there were 5,088 officers in the force, a slight increase from 4,996 in the previous year.

This meant that for every 100,000 people in the Thames Valley in September, there were 197 officers.

Figures showed Thames Valley Police hired significantly fewer police officers in the past year, as the Police Federation of England and Wales warned of growing numbers of officers leaving the profession

Nationally, the headcount of police officers stands at 148,900 - a decrease of 278 compared to the previous year and a drop from a peak in March of 149,800.

Figures also showed that Thames Valley Police, which covers Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, added 99 full-time equivalent officers to its ranks in the year to September, compared to the previous year when it gained 227.

Nationally, the number of full-time equivalent officers fell from a record 147,700 in March to 146,900 in September - making it the lowest figure since September 2022.

A Government Police Uplift Programme, which ended in March 2023, succeeded in its target of recruiting 20,000 police officers across England and Wales.

However, the Police Federation of England and Wales has warned that increasing numbers of officers are leaving the profession, and called for the Government to take action to arrest the decline.

The federation’s acting national chair Tiff Lynch said: "People are leaving the police service for a reason - it's the relentless erosion of fair pay, poor conditions, and the lack of support for the tough, dangerous work officers do.

"If they don't act, we'll keep losing officers.

"Policing needs long-term, stable funding, not the constant cycle of boom-and-bust recruitment strategies.

"Quick fixes won’t cut it. We need a sustainable solution, or the consequences for communities across the country will be tragic."

Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a £100 million investment in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which aims to deliver 13,000 extra neighbourhood policing officers, police community support officers and special constables by the end of the current Parliament.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley Matthew Barber this week announced his local policing budget for the forthcoming year.

The force’s budget is set to increase by £600 million in the next financial year, with half of that money coming from taxpayers in the area.

Community safety and protecting people and property have been announced as Barber’s priorities in the next year, based on the responses of a local crime survey.