59 more officers join Essex Police
Over half of the latest cohort are women
59 new police officers have joined the force in Essex - 31 of them women.
Essex Police say this is the largest percentage in one intake, and they are are seeing more join from minority backgrounds.
By next March, officer numbers here will be at a ten-year high.
They were all welcomed to the Essex Police family at the COVID-Secure event by Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington and other senior officers.
The event was live-streamed so family and friends could share the moment online.
The event on Friday 19 March at force headquarters in Chelmsford marked their successful completion of initial training.
The 59 new officers are now joining their teams around the county, ready to help people, keep you safe and catch criminals.
By March next year, we will number 3,553 officers – a ten-year high.
After they pledged their commitment to serve Essex residents, Mr Harrington told our new officers they were joining policing at an interesting time:
“Not since the Second World War has our country faced such a challenge. At times of challenge, the public will look to our leaders and they will also look to you to help them and keep them safe.
“We are leading the response across greater Essex, working with partners to protect and serve Essex at a time when people, and especially the vulnerable, are anxious and sometimes scared. There is a roadmap back to normality but we are not there yet.”
A positive look at the past year
The force say they police with the consent of the public and, in spite of the challenges of the last year, independent surveying showed that, at the peak, 81% of people in Essex supported their approach to policing.
In the past 12 months, they have been able to increase the work they do in tackling some of the most serious crimes.
Extra officers have been directed against domestic abuse, sexual violence and ‘county lines’ drug supply.
Essex Police have also increased their visibility in tackling violence and protecting vulnerable people through town centre teams, community safety engagement officers and Rural Engagement Team.
They have increased their capacity and capability to provide visible reassurance and to deter criminals.
In the past year, the area has seen a reduction in recorded crime:
• 21,145 fewer offences were recorded between February 2020 and February 2021 than during the previous 12 months
• during the same period, the number of arrests for violence against the person increased from 11,622 to 13,610.
Could you join up?
Essex Police say they are committed to being an inclusive force, which welcomes people from all walks of life and backgrounds and so say that if you think you have what it takes to help people, keep them safe and catch criminals, why not join them?
During the autumn and winter, they attracted more people from diverse backgrounds through the '#FitTheBill We Value Difference' recruitment campaign.
Compared to the previous year, the force had 103 more applications from people who are black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background and, in the same period, the number of women applying to join the Essex Police family increased by 105.