Avon and Somerset Police has this week said it has exceeded its recruitment target and grown by 558 police officers.
Since July 2019 the force’s workforce has grown from 2,835 operational officers to 3,393.
Many of the additional officers have already completed their training, with the first cohort graduating last summer.
These officers are now responding to crime, including, safeguarding children, investigating rape and burglary.
Louise Hutchison, Acting Chief Officer People and Organisational Development, said: “Since 2019 we’ve been working hard to increase our police officer numbers, knowing how much benefit this could bring to our policing teams and the public we serve.”
“Through the Uplift programme we were set a target of recruiting 456 officers and as of 31 March we have surpassed this, recruiting 558 frontline officers.”
“On top of meeting our overall growth target, we’ve also succeeded in creating a more diverse workforce, helping us to better represent the communities we serve.”
“I’m incredibly proud of how hard teams have worked across the organisation to support the attraction, recruitment, training and development of these officers, not just new officers but welcoming those who have re-joined or joined us from other forces.”
“Of course, there’s still much more to do on this and reflecting the wealth of different backgrounds and experiences across our communities remains a core commitment in our recruitment.”
The successfully recruited officers come from different backgrounds through a variety of different entry routes ranging from Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) to transferees from other forces.
