Hampshire police gains 62 recruits - putting it on track to hit its target five months early

The drive for more police is part of a national effort that aims for 20,000 new officers across the UK, as promised by prime minister Boris Johnson earlier this year.

Hampshire Constabulary is hoping to reach 156 recruits by March 2021 – and the force is on track to have recruited 218 new members by the end of this month.

The county is also attracting talent from across the country who want to transfer to the area, according to a spokesman from Hampshire Constabulary.

He said: ‘We are also seeing real interest from officers wanting to transfer in from other forces and also those looking to re-join the police service with a further 30 anticipated to join us in November.

‘All of these officers coming in are helping to replace those officers leaving through retirements etc. and also helping us to achieve our national uplift target.

‘The diversity of our applicants applying continues to be a positive news story with our recent recruitment window seeing just under 10 per cent representation from BME applicants and continues the improvements we have seen throughout the year in this respect.’

Last month saw the first recruits join as part of a shake-up in police training, as the recruits take part in the new Police Educational Qualification Framework.

Earlier in the year, The News revealed initial plans for where the potential 156 Hampshire recruits will be deployed, with four being sent to Fareham, five going to Gosport, eight in Havant, and 18 in Portsmouth.

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