Thames Valley’s police and crime commissioner branded as ‘outrageous’ efforts by the Metropolitan Police to ‘poach’ Home Counties officers with the promise of a £5,000 golden handshake.

Matthew Barber joined his counterparts in Surrey, Bedfordshire, Sussex and Kent in criticising the Met’s recruiting policy.

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The commissioner tweeted on Tuesday: “Targeting officers from other forces only risk community safety in this areas not to mention the question of whether it’s even legal.

“Instead of fighting over the same turf we should be working together to attract the best new people into policing.”

In February, the Met Police said it was temporarily lifting the requirement for new recruits to live in London as it tried to hire 1,800 new officers by March next year.

Corporate services chief Robin Wilkinson reportedly told the London Assembly in March that the number of applications it was receiving was ‘too low to meet the growth’ the force needed.

The Met is now offering a £5,000 ‘golden handshake’ to officers interested in transferring to London from other forces.

Police and crime commissioners in the areas surrounding London expressed their concerns online yesterday.

Kent’s Matthew Scott accused the Met of ‘selfishly poach[ing]’ his experienced officers to meet its targets. Sussex’s Katy Bourne said the force ‘don’t care about the bigger picture’.

The Met was approached for comment.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward