Police in Lancashire smash recruitment targets

612 new officers have been employed across the county since 2019

Chief Constable Chris Rowley with new recruits
Author: Jamie WilliamsonPublished 26th Apr 2023
Last updated 26th Apr 2023

Lancashire Constabulary has exceeded the government's recruitment targets by welcoming over 600 additional police officers within the past four years.

The target set by the government was to recruit 509 additional officers, with 612 officers already recruited, in training, or on their way to becoming fully-fledged officers.

Since September 2019, over 11,000 applications were submitted to join Lancashire Constabulary as a Police Officer through the five different entry routes offered by the force.

Chief Constable Chris Rowley said:

"I am pleased we have exceeded our recruitment target and welcome these new officers as they join the Lancashire Police family. I have been able to speak with almost all of these new recruits and am filled with confidence that they will serve the communities of Lancashire to the very highest of standards."

With the addition of these new recruits, the police officer headcount for Lancashire Constabulary now stands at 3,587, serving the 1.5 million people living in the diverse communities of Lancashire. The force is particularly proud of the increased representation of female officers and officers from black and minority ethnicities, making them the only force to have recruited more female officers.

Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, expressed his delight at the recruitment success.

He said:

"It represents an exciting time for policing in Lancashire as more and more officers gain the knowledge and experience to make a real difference in the fight against crime across the county, with visible, community-focused policing making people and the communities they live and work in safer."

Recruitment efforts will continue in 2023/24.

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