More officers than ever applying to join Northamptonshire Police - do you have what it takes?

Northamptonshire Police continues to race ahead of its police officer recruitment targets with more people than ever applying to join the Force.

116 officers have been recruited between October 2019, when the national recruitment programme was announced, and July 2020.

As part of the national uplift programme, the force was allocated funding for 57 extra officers by March 2021 and is on track to meet this target beforehand. Whilst force allocations after this date are still to be finalised nationally, it is envisaged that the uplift programme, will fund approximately an additional 191 new officers for the county by March 2023.

This is on top of the additional 83 additional police officers funded from the council tax, increasing total police officer numbers to around 1500 by March 2023.

In 2020/2021 the Force has an aspiration to recruit an additional 160 officers to recruit additional officer and allow for officers who have left or retired.  

Paul Bullen, Director for Enabling Services at Northamptonshire Police, said: “Northamptonshire Police is the place to be at the moment – we have a fantastic Chief Constable who leads from the front, our performance in a number of areas is getting stronger and stronger, and we are real believers in the fact that proactive policing gets results.

“As a result of these exciting times, we’re seeing more people applying to join us than ever and have had a great response to our recruitment campaign so far, with a number of high quality applicants coming through the 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. If you think you have what it takes, apply now.”

Northamptonshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “It’s such good news  that the Force has pushed ahead with recruitment and that people clearly want to join Northamptonshire Police.  We are well on the way to meeting 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 and to put this in context,  Northamptonshire Police had 1170 officers when I arrived.

“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 trust we place in them.  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.

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]