Northamptonshire Police on target to reach record number of officers by 2023

Northamptonshire Police is ahead of its target to have more officers than ever before by 2023.

An extra 274 recruits will take the total in the ranks to a record 1,500 thanks to cash from the Government and the county's Council Tax payers.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold has spearheaded the recruitment drive alongside Northamptonshire's Chief Constable Nick Adderley since October last year.

Mr Mold said: “I’m tremendously pleased that the force has pushed ahead with recruitment and that the number of applications is at such a high level.

We are on track to meet the commitment we made to the public of Northamptonshire to recruit an additional 83 police officers using their Council Tax funding.

“We are also on track with the recruitment of more than 190 extra officers funded through the Government’s uplift. Together with our local contribution, that will take the force to over 1,500 officers by 2023 -- the largest it has ever been.

“For me, it has always been crucial that Northamptonshire Police should reflect the community it serves and the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted more than ever the critical role of our police and the tremendous value of their role in our society.

"I am glad that this is inspiring people to consider a career as a police officer in Northamptonshire and that the force is pressing on with bringing in new talent to make our community even safer.”

Wootton Hall chiefs started a massive recruitment drive in October last year and have been stunned by the response.

Enabling services director Paul Bullen said: “We’re seeing a great response to our recruitment campaign with high quality applicants coming through the recruitment process.

"As a result of this response, we’re confident that we’re not only on track to meet our targets and projected numbers over the coming years but that we will hit these ahead of time.

“It’s great to see that people want to join our ranks and make that difference particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

As well as fresh recruits, Northamptonshire is bringing in experienced officers from neighbouring counties and set up a dedicated Positive Action Team to support applications from communities which are currently under-represented in the force, including black, asian and minority ethnic, LGBTQ+ and women.

A pathway has also been opened for would-be detectives to be fast-tracked rather than following the route of spending time in uniform before specialising.

The scheme is aimed at graduates and head of CID Detective Superintendent Paul Rymarz, head of CID, said: “This is an exciting time to join Northamptonshire Police and this new pathway gives people an extraordinary opportunity to start a career that will change their lives and the lives of others.

“I want to be clear though, we expect the highest standards of our detectives and will therefore be looking for applications from individual who can demonstrate strong communication and decision-making skills. We’ll be looking for team players with leadership qualities, integrity and resilience.

“We have researched and developed a pathway that will look to produce credible detectives who will help us investigate some of our most serious and complex investigations.

“We hope that the campaign will bring in new and talented individuals that can help us make this county safer.”