More police officers for Wiltshire in 2022
Force to increase the number of bobbies being trained and recruited
Wiltshire Police is increasing the number of police officers being recruited and trained throughout this year.
It's part of the Government’s drive for police forces to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers.
On Wednesday last week (26 Jan 2022) the Home Office published its quarterly update on the progress being made, by police forces in England and Wales, towards achieving targets set by the so called 'Police Uplift Programme' which runs to March 2023.
An extra 11,048 police officers have been recruited, nationally, from the Uplift funding between October 2019 and December 2021.
The latest 20,000-recruitment target - in addition to the normal turnover of officers who retire or leave the service each year - will ease the pressure on policing, help reduce crime, increase visibility, and improve outcomes for victims.
MORE POLICE FOR WILTSHIRE
Wiltshire is currently on track to meet its target of recruiting 48 additional officers - including two who're seconded to the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit – by the end of the second year of Uplift in April.
The Force says it's likely to exceed this target though with up to a dozen more officers than originally expected. More than 200 officers have begun training in Wiltshire since the start of Uplift in autumn 2019.
Chris McMullin, Director of People and Change, said;
“This year promises to be a good year for officer numbers, with our largest ever police officer recruitment and training programme. We are looking to bring in around 160 new officers to start training in the next 14 months. It’s great news for the public and more opportunities for those considering a career as a police officer in Wiltshire."
“We want to attract and retain police officers from a wide range of backgrounds to serve the public and a police service which fully represents our community. I strongly encourage people from under-represented groups, particularly women and people from all ethnic minority backgrounds, to come forward and join us."
“You can contribute to your community, help people in need and develop fantastic skills along the way.”
Or search online for 'Wiltshire Police Officer Recruitment'.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson has said that residents, and communities, consistently ask for greater visibility of police officers and better engagement. He believes this uplift will boost Wiltshire Police’s efforts in this area and will mean the highest number of police officers from its lowest figure of 934.
PCC Philip Wilkinson said:
“I have heard loud and clear that residents in Wiltshire want to see an improved, and more visible police service from Wiltshire Police and these additional officers will play a key role in delivering that."
“The majority of the additional officers recruited so far have been deployed to Community Policing Teams with the focus of improving neighbourhood policing and community engagement.”
POLICE RECRUITMENT: NOT A QUICK FIX
Additional officers provide a much-needed bolster for the Force to better protect communities support victims and help make Wiltshire safer, but PCC Philip Wilkinson warned that the policing service won’t change overnight:
“While these additional officers are of course a very welcome addition to Wiltshire, they are not a quick fix and it will take time before a meaningful difference is seen within our communities."
“It takes two to three years for a student officer to move through training and become fully independent, which includes the initial five months in the classroom."
“This is in addition to the nine-18months it takes to get a student officer into the classroom following recruitment, vetting and medical checks."
“That said, we’re already starting to see the initial benefits of these additional officers and I continue to work with the Chief Constable to ensure that visible community policing remains central to future plans.”