National campaign to recruit 20,000 police officers launches today

·       Home Office campaign features serving police officers and urges people to join the police and ‘Be a force for all’
·       Up to 200 officers could be recruited in North Yorkshire
·       North Yorkshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain is encouraging potential recruits to register their interest at northyorkshire.police.uk/JoinUs

A national campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers is launched today (Thursday) – urging people to join the police and ‘Be a force for all’.

The police recruitment drive is the biggest in decades and could mean an additional 200 police officers across North Yorkshire.

The ‘Be a force for all’ campaign has been developed by the Home Office in partnership with the police and using feedback from the public via independent research.

It features serving police officers, including a neighbourhood officer, a police dog handler and a firearms officer. One of the officers started as a volunteer Special Constable, while another is a former charity executive who changed career.

They appear on billboards and digital displays at locations across England and Wales, including at shopping centres and railway stations, as well as in a radio advertisement.

A new website has also been set up to provide potential recruits with more information and direct those interested in policing in North Yorkshire to the recruitment pages on North Yorkshire Police’s website.

Potential recruits can also express their interest before recruitment opens in North Yorkshire directly on the force’s website at northyorkshire.police.uk/JoinUs

A second phase of advertising is planned for the New Year.

Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain of North Yorkshire Police said:

“This is an exciting opportunity for anyone considering a career in policing to join our team.

“The role of the Police Officer is one of the most important parts of the policing family. No other job gives you the sense of satisfaction like this job does – you will be the frontline of the criminal justice system, helping people in their time of need and assisting when they are at their most vulnerable. It is a challenging but extremely rewarding role which offers long-term career opportunities.

“There is no denying that 200 additional officers will make a significant difference to policing in North Yorkshire but for us to achieve that figure we need people to apply. We’ll be announcing further details when recruitment opens in North Yorkshire soon but in the meantime, please register your interest here: northyorkshire.police.uk/JoinUs

“We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences and recognise that the more our force reflects the diverse communities that we serve, the stronger it becomes. Whether you are just starting out in your career or are a more experienced and mature individual looking for your next challenge, this is your police force, please come and join it.”

For more information visit joiningthepolice.co.uk

North Yorkshire Police launch PCSO recruitment campaign

Today marks the start of North Yorkshire Police’s major new recruitment campaign to bring more than 50 Police Community Support Officers into the Force over the next 12 months.

North Yorkshire Police launches PCSO recruitment campaign

The campaign is part of a wider recruitment plan to boost the number of frontline police working across North Yorkshire’s communities

Police Community Support Officers (or PCSOs) are paid employees who work alongside warranted Police Officers to keep communities safe.  They take part in neighbourhood patrols, help to tackle anti-social behaviour, provide crime prevention advice and support investigations.  Whilst many people choose to be a PCSO as a permanent career role, others use the position to gain experience before applying to become a warranted Officer.

Speaking about the recruitment campaign, Phil Cain, Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police said:

“PCSOs are a really important part of the policing family because they have a very direct link with communities, and help to solve the problems that can affect peoples’ quality of life.

“The increase in the Precept has meant we can boost the number of PCSOs we have in our Force by 20, which is really positive, and will make a significant different to communities.  But added to that we also need to recruit to fill vacancies that have arisen from people retiring or moving into warranted Officer roles.

“Our aim is to recruit 50 PCSOs this year in three intakes.  Today’s campaign is the start of that process.”

Based around the qualities required to succeed in the PCSO role – including communication, people skills, level-headedness, problem-solving and team-work – the campaign encourages people with these abilities to “be a PCSO”.  As well as general publicity, North Yorkshire Police will be holding some special workshops aimed at encouraging people from under-represented groups, such as black and minority ethnic communities, to make an application.

Said DCC Phil Cain:

“We made great progress last year in attracting candidates from a diverse communities into the Force, and we’re continuing to focus on that again this year.  We want our workforce to be representative of the wider demographics in North Yorkshire as a whole, and we’ll be running our Positive Action activities alongside this PCSO recruitment campaign to support that.”

Anyone interested in joining North Yorkshire Police as a PCSO can visit:  www.northyorkshire.police.uk/pcso for information on the role and how to apply.