Police officer recruitment opens in Wiltshire

A new recruitment drive has been launched by Wiltshire Police.

The campaign has a strong diversity focus aimed at increasing the number of police officers who are female or from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background.

The force says it is hiring more police officers than ever. Wiltshire now has 1,101 police officers, the highest number of serving officers in six years.

A further 120 student officers are set to start training over the next 12 months and the latest campaign is seeking applicants for places from January 2022 onwards.

The recruitment drive is part of the Government’s promise to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers by 2023 through the national Police Officer Uplift programme.

The Home Office recently reported that police forces recruited 8,771 more officers in the year to 31 March 2021. This represents 44 percent of the total 20,000 target, and all 43 English and Welsh police forces met or exceeded their first-year recruitment targets to March 2021.

In Wiltshire, 60 police officers were hired through direct funding from the national Uplift programme, against the target set of 49.  A further 31 officers were recruited through the local policing precept increases paid through Council Tax, to cover normal planned recruitment to replace officers retiring or leaving.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said: “It is really encouraging to see the appetite to join the police has continued, despite the Covid pandemic. We call on people who want to serve their community to step forward.

“We are working hard to increase diversity in our workforce as we need to better reflect the communities we serve.  We particularly want to encourage more women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds to apply.

"If you have the passion to serve your community and are looking for a rewarding career where no two days are the same, we want to hear from you."

To apply, visit the Wiltshire Police website  www.wiltshire.police.uk/careers

Applications will close at 400 applicants for this recruitment round.