Wiltshire Police surpass government recruitment target
Wiltshire has done it's bit in recruiting 20,000 new officers across the UK
Last updated 3rd Apr 2023
Wiltshire Police have exceeded the recruitment target set by the Government in 2020 as part of the Police Uplift Programme, which aimed to recruit 20,000 new police officers.
Having been set a target of 164 additional officers above the standard recruitment rate, to increase serving numbers to at least 1,189 officers by the end of March 2023, Wiltshire Police have confirmed that they have 1,196 officers at the beginning of April 2023.
This has been brought about by an intense period of recruitment, resulting in 459 officers being recruited since the Uplift Programme began.
The drive in expanding the operative numbers has seen the gender balance improve too, with 39% of Wiltshire Police being females, with ethnic minority officer numbers doubling from 20 to 40.
The Force is aiming to bolster it's ranks further with another 160 officers joining in the next 12 months.
Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said:
“This is a much-needed boost for Wiltshire. These additional officers will play a key role in delivering the more visible police service that the public want to see from their community policing teams.
“It has been a massive team effort to achieve these recruitment numbers and I am grateful to everyone who has helped us achieve that goal, and to every individual who has stepped forward to dedicate themselves to a career in public service.”
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson also welcomed the news, saying:
“Visible, proactive, policing makes people feel safer and Wiltshire’s residents have told me they want more police officers in frontline community roles.
“Wiltshire now has its highest number of police officers since 2010 and we are starting to see those vital community-based police officers being achieved through key investment from the police precept and the Uplift programme."