Nottinghamshire Police is so far ahead with its plans that it will now recruit an extra 150 extra police officers over the next 12 months – on top of the 147 officers already secured this financial year.
In a joint announcement today, the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping and Chief Constable Craig Guildford said the Force would push on with its recruitment efforts to ensure communities across Nottinghamshire continued to benefit from its nationally recognised approach.
They were speaking after a further cohort of new police officers, recruited as part of the PCCs budget and the national uplift, were officially sworn into post during a passing out parade.
The Force has now recruited the full 107 police officers pledged as part of the national uplift and a further 40 delivered by the 2020-21 budget – many of whom have already completed their initial training and are bolstering the frontline.
Plans are now underway to recruit a further 150 officers by March 2021 – bringing the total number of additional officers to almost 300.
The vast majority of new officers will be deployed in Neighbourhood Policing roles across Nottinghamshire and as part of the expansion of Operation Reacher, which is being rolled out to all parts of the city and county. There will also be more dedicated Beat Officers as part of the growth in numbers. The remainder will go into Public Protection, Crime Investigation, Cyber Crime, Fraud plus additional Knife Crime and Robbery Team officers. They will help drive down crime and support victims.
“This is a massive achievement and puts Nottinghamshire firmly in front,” said Mr Tipping.
“Since the upsurge of national funding was announced, we have hit the ground running to ensure our communities benefit from these extra resources as soon as possible and in the current crisis, where resilience will undoubtedly be tested in the weeks ahead, that has proved extremely prudent.
“A fully resourced police force helps us fight crime more effectively and is exactly what local people want. We’re already seeing the results of sustained investment, with knife crime falling, bucking the national trend. The new officers we recruit over the coming months will be vital to supporting these efforts and increasing our capacity to respond to threat.
“We will also pay special attention to expanding diversity in the Force and encouraging people from all walks of life to consider a policing career. I want to build a service that truly reflects the communities it serves and will be working closely with our communities to ensure that happens.”
The recruitment will be funded by an additional government grant available to forces who fully meet the timescales set out as part of the uplift arrangements. The Chief Constable has already achieved this.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford added: “We are ahead of the national curve on recruitment of additional officers. I cannot stress enough how vital these new officers are for Nottinghamshire. In these times of uncertainty and change we need officers on our streets reassuring the public that we continue to bear down on criminals whilst helping the vulnerable as we strive to keep our communities safe.
“There is still some way to go until we get back to the levels of 2009/10 but this is a huge boost for our communities and means we can do even more to keep them and their families safe. The additional numbers will bolster my hard-working officers and staff who have continued to perform despite the challenges of the past decade.
“The PCC and I are constantly lobbying and creatively generating beneficial opportunities for Nottinghamshire Police. For me this means not only pushing for more funding and officers, but ensuring the quality and diversity of those we recruit are deployed for maximum impact of those we serve.”
A report covering officer recruitment has been sent to the Police and Crime Panel. The meeting due to be held on 30 March 2020 will now take place remotely with the Chair and the Vice-Chair.