Officer recruitment ahead of targets and great opportunities available at Northamptonshire Police

Northamptonshire Police is ahead of its future targets of additional police officers and is offering exciting opportunities through its ongoing recruitment campaign.

Paul Bullen, Director for Enabling Services at Northamptonshire Police, said: “We’re seeing a great response to our recruitment campaign with high quality applicants coming through the recruitment process. As a result of this response, we’re confident that we’re not only on track to meet our targets and projected numbers over the coming years but that we will hit these ahead of time.

“Becoming a police officer in Northamptonshire is a really rewarding career and we’ve got some very exciting opportunities. Our campaign #FitTheBill has highlighted just how many varied roles there are within policing and we’ve recently announced our exciting new Accelerated Detective Pathway. It’s also great to see that people want to join our ranks and make that difference particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

68 officers were recruited between October 2019 (when the national programme was announced) and March 2020. As a result of the national uplift programme, the force was allocated funding for 57 extra officers by March 2021 but is on track to meet this target beforehand. The uplift programme, in total, will fund 191 new officers for the county by March 2023. Funding for police officers is also allocated via the council precept – which is a target of 83 officers by 2023 - and recruitment also needs to allow for officers who have left or retired.  In 2020/2021 the Force has an aspiration to recruit an additional 160 officers, including 20 officers who started this month.

Northamptonshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said:  “I’m tremendously pleased that the Force has pushed ahead with recruitment and that the number of applications is at such a high level.  We are on track to meet the commitment we made to the public of Northamptonshire to recruit an additional 83 police officers using their council tax funding.

“We are also on track with the recruitment of more than 190 extra officers funded through the Government’s Uplift that together with our local contribution, will take the Force to over 1,500 officers by 2023, the largest it has ever been. 

“For me, it has always been crucial that Northamptonshire Police should reflect the community it serves and the Covid 19 pandemic has highlighted more than ever the critical role of our police and the tremendous value of their role in our society.  I am glad that this is inspiring people to consider a career as a police officer in Northamptonshire and that the Force is pressing on with bringing in new talent to make our community even safer.” 

Northamptonshire Police is recruiting transferees from other forces and new recruits through its ongoing #FitTheBill campaign. There are various ways to become an officer  - as a student training for two years under the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP), following a three-year Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA), as a graduate following a work-based two year programme or having taken a three year degree in professional policing.

Last week the force also announced the new Accelerated Detective Pathway (ADP) - traditionally, the path to becoming a detective would see entrants join as a uniformed police officer before specialising. This new pathway offers graduates with the appropriate transferable skills, knowledge and experience, the chance to work alongside fellow detectives within months of joining the police. Find out more. 

For more information on all our entry routes please visit the career pages of our website at www.northants.police.uk 

Alternatively, please contact our recruitment team at [email protected] or call them on 03000111222 extension 342401.

Northamptonshire Police welcomes applications from communities which are currently under-represented in our workforce, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, LGBTQ+ and Women.

A dedicated Positive Action Team has been established to support applicants from under-represented group and is committed to ensuring a level playing field for all applicants. For more information please contact [email protected]