Met pauses recruitment after hitting target of 1,300 extra officers

The force has recruited 1,369 officers this financial year, bringing the workforce to around 32,800 officers. It has now paused its recruitment until early 2021. The number of officers retiring or resigning also slowed during the pandemic with the result that there were fewer vacancies to fill, it said. The… Latest figures also show that 45 full time officers rejoined the force following the appeal in March to former PCs and sergeants ...

The feel good factor

TeamPolice is a new  joint-venture by Ethos and Police Sport UK. PSUK is in the process of becoming a registered charity and is the body responsible for supporting all sporting activities across the UK. It reaches a potential membership of over 300,000 serving police officers, police staff, retired officers and… TeamPolice is a new scheme run by the police, for the police and is dedicated to promoting and improving wellbeing in the service through sport. Louise Fenn who leads marketing and communications for the venture explains how it works ...

Chief Constable Alan Pughsley has his contract extended to 2025

CC Pughsley will continue to lead Kent Police until January 2025. He became chief constable in January 2014 and PCC Scott extended his appointment in 2016 for three years to January 2022. The force is currently undertaking it’s biggest-ever recruitment drive with the aim of will see Kent Police have… Kent Police’s Chief Constable Alan Pughsley has had his contract extended for another five years by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott....

Third largest BAME force sets out plans for biggest recruitment drive

The force with the third highest proportion of BAME officers in the country will use a community panel to help attract more applicants from diverse backgrounds.  As a relatively small constabulary with just over 1,100 officers it includes the very diverse city of Luton attached to a busy airport and… Bedfordshire Police has launched its biggest ever recruitment drive to find 156 new officers this year....

NPCC welfare lead says COVID-19 highlighted importance of wellbeing

CC Rhodes is the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for Organisational Development and Wellbeing. Speaking on Tuesday (25 August) at a virtual conference hosted by Oscar Kilo, Policing through a pandemic: the impact of technology on wellbeing, CC Rhodes said the pandemic has pushed welfare to the top of… Lancashire’s Chief Constable Andy Rhodes said the low sickness levels from forces throughout the pandemic has highlighted how wellbeing should be at the forefront of policing and not an “afterthought". ...

College's evaluation of Day One assessment shows racial disparity

Day One was developed to replace Police SEARCH which had been in place for 18 years. Its planned rollout nationally for 2020 has been delayed due to the pandemic.  It aimed to give new recruit candidates the experience of the challenges a new constable could face on their first day… The College of Policing has published an evaluation of the Day One assessment centre pilot, which had a higher success rate among white candidates than BAME ones. ...

Former chief supt appointed head of enforced returns family welfare panel

A former chief superintendent and Head of Public Protection at Nottinghamshire Police has been appointed permanent chair of the Independent Family Returns Panel (IFRP). Helen Chamberlain was appointed interim chair in May 2020 and has been a member since August 2018. The panel provides advice to the Home Office on… Multi-agency body includes police, social care and education specialists ...

Pending retirees prioritised for government's pensions settlement

The Home Office has taken another step towards settling the police  pensions dsipute that is set to land the government with a multi-billion pound compensation bill. In an update to members, the Police Federation revealed that officials at the Home Office have set out guidance in relation to Immediate Detriment… Officers set to retire from policing are a step closer to ending the uncertainty over their pensions if draft Home Office guidance is agreed. ...

Officer questions to be put to chief constable candidates

Applications for Lincolnshire’s next Chief Constable are now closed and the next stage of the recruitment process has began. Incumbent Bill Skelly is due to retire this December. A two day process at the beginning of September will put questions from officers and staff in a Q&A, with all candidates… Lincolnshire Police are incorporating questions from frontline officers and staff as part of the recruitment process for their new Chief Constable....

Interview: Leicestershire's first Somali PC

PC Ahmed joined Leicestershire Police as a Special Constable in 2015 and then as a PC in 2017. He is currently a neighbourhood policing officer in the Spinney Hill area, working closely within the community where he grew up. He said policing is not generally seen as a viable career… PC Adam Ahmed is the first person from the Somali community to become a police officer in Leicestershire, one of the UK’s most multi-cultural areas. He tells Police Oracle his view on recruiting from underrepresented groups and how his own cultural background influences the force’s neighbourhood policing....