National campaign to recruit 20,000 police officers launched

Above: Police recuitment campaign.
Courtesy Home Office

The police recruitment drive is the biggest in decades and follows the Prime Minister’s commitment to increase police numbers over the next three years.

The Chancellor yesterday announced funding to support the recruitment of a first wave of up to 6,000 officers, who will be shared among the 43 forces in England and Wales. This includes £750 million for 2020-21 and an immediate £45 million to kick-start recruitment.

The remaining 14,000 will be recruited in the following two years, backed by government funding, and will be additional to officers hired to fill existing vacancies.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Getting more police on our streets is an absolute priority and I’m delighted our recruitment campaign for 20,000 new officers is now under way.

"I have been clear from day one I will give the police the resources they need and I am delivering on that commitment.

"They have my full support and together we will cut crime, get criminals off the streets and keep people safe."

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "One of the government’s first actions was to commit to putting 20,000 new police officers on our streets, and the launch of today’s campaign shows we’ve wasted no time in getting on with the job.

"Our police are the best in the word. They protect our people and communities and this government will ensure they are well resourced so they can tackle the crime on Britain’s streets.

"By bolstering the police’s ranks we can help our dedicated officers tackle crime, protect communities and be a force for all."

The ‘Be a force for all’ campaign has been developed by the Home Office in partnership with the police and using feedback from the public via independent research.

It features serving police officers, including a neighbourhood officer, a police dog handler and a firearms officer. One of the officers started as a volunteer Special Constable, while another is a former charity executive who changed career.

They appear on billboards and digital displays at locations across England and Wales, including at shopping centres and railway stations, as well as in a radio advertisement.

A new website has also been set up to provide potential recruits with more information and direct them to the recruitment pages of local police forces.

A second phase of advertising is planned for the new year.

Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: "Today’s recruitment campaign launch, and the government funding to deliver it, represents a significant opportunity for policing. This net increase in officers will help us provide a better service to the public, reduce crime, and ease the unprecedented pressure on our people. It will also help us to accelerate our plans to improve diversity in policing.

"It also opens up the exciting opportunity for a career in policing to many more people. If you want a varied career and to make a positive difference in your community, policing could be for you. We want to attract people from a range of backgrounds with a range of skills who will complement the able, professional officers and staff currently working across policing to keep people safe.

"Recruiting 20,000 officers over three years is unprecedented. It will require significant planning, but we are confident we can fulfil this commitment with the right resources and support from the government."

Katy Bourne OBE, Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: "Police and Crime Commissioners welcome today’s recruitment campaign launch. These additional officers will help our police forces to cut crime and deliver better outcomes for victims. We know that this is what the public want.

"This is a huge opportunity for policing to deliver on behalf of all our communities. We will work to ensure the successful recruitment of these officers over the next three years."

A National Policing Board, chaired by the Home Secretary and bringing together government and police leaders, has been set up to oversee the recruitment drive and other major policing issues.

The Home Secretary has previously announced the Home Office is accelerating plans for a Police Covenant to ensure serving and former officers are treated with the respect they deserve.

The Home Office also extended a pilot relaxing conditions around the use of section 60 serious violence stop and search powers.

Meanwhile, police funding is increasing by more than £1 billion this year, including money raised from council tax and to tackle serious violence.

Police Now support
Police Now is also launching its national campaign 'You'll be there', as a national campaign to recruit talented graduates from diverse backgrounds, especially those who might not have previously considered policing.

The campaign supports the national recruitment drive following the Prime Minister's commitment to increase police numbers over the next three years.

Since 2015, Police Now has recruited, trained and developed over 950 police officers, posting them into neighbourhood policing roles in some of the country's most deprived communities.

Above: Police Now's DC Upile Mtitimila features across England and Wales in a series of outdoor and digital advertising campaigns for the Home Office campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers. Police Now attract, recruit and train outstanding graduates with leadership potential to be inspirational police officers and detectives who transform communities.
Courtesy Police Now

Of those who started the National Graduate Leadership Programme in 2019:

• 17% are from a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background.
• 50% identify as female.
• 13% identify as LGBTQ.
• 51% are the first in their family to go to university.
• They graduated from 77 different academic institutions with 20 unique languages spoken across the cohort.

Clare Power, Police Now Recruitment and Marketing Director, said: "Last week we launched our marketing campaign You'll be there and opened for applications for our National Graduate Leadership Programme 2020, working in partnership with police forces around the country. This summer we saw our largest and most diverse cohort of graduates complete our Summer Academy and join police forces around England and Wales. These graduates are leading positive change and are driven to transform the communities around them. We plan to build on this success in 2020 to support the Police Service in its uplift plans."

DC Upile Mtitimila, Police Now graduate featuring in the Home Office campaign said: "I joined the Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme because I wanted to make a difference to vulnerable people who often have no-one else to turn to. I wanted to influence culture and drive positive change because of some of the perceptions and interactions I had had with the police and Police Now has enabled me to do this.

"I'm delighted to feature in both the Home Office and Police Now marketing campaigns, to support the uplift in police officers across England and Wales. My role is to be there, to support those who open up and trust me and the campaigns reinforce the importance of this in policing."