North Yorkshire Police set to beat Home Office target with 450 new officers since July 2019

In July 2019, the government announced plans to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales by the end of March 2023.

Each police force was given a target based on current workforce and local population.

Since then, North Yorkshire Police has implemented a number of successful recruitment campaigns and entry routes to the force, boosting the county’s operational teams with 457 student officers and 209 transferees from other forces.

In September 2019, the force launched the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme in partnership with the Open University which leads to a nationally recognised BSc (Hons) in Professional Policing Practice.

New recruits join North Yorkshire Police and spend 80 per cent of their time serving while learning on the job and 20 per cent of their work time studying towards their qualification.

Twelve cohorts of officers have now been through the programme since its launch and recruitment will open again later in 2023.

The force has also seen success with its Degree Holders Entry Programme (DHEP), a two-year accelerated route for those entering with a degree in any subject. DHEP allows recruits to train as a police constable and gain a Graduate Diploma in policing through the Open University.

In late 2022, North Yorkshire Police launched the DHEP Accelerated Detective Pathway (DHEP ADP) which is a fast-track process for those with transferable skills, knowledge and experience to become a detective.

The DHEP ADP is designed for applicants who already have an existing degree.

Recruits train while working to achieve a Graduate Diploma in Policing before undertaking the National Investigators Exam and Detective Training Course in order to achieve accredited Detective status.

North Yorkshire Police Deputy Chief Constable, Mabs Hussain, said: “Policing is a career which has a lot to offer and by implementing a number of entry routes, we want to make sure it is open to anyone who has the aptitude and passion for delivering the highest quality service to our public.

“Our partnership with the Open University has not only enabled us to strengthen the opportunities we offer recruits, but it also meant studying and training could continue through the pandemic, when traditional routes were simply not an option.

“The success of our recruitment campaigns over the last few years has been a real team effort and is down to the hard work of everyone across the force who all have a role to play in supporting our new recruits and transferees.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe said: “I’m so pleased that North Yorkshire Police is on track to exceed its uplift target set by the Home Office and that the efforts put into recruitment campaigns and partnership working is proving successful.

“To be able to say that the Force has the largest number of officers they have had in a decade makes me incredibly proud – but, I am determined that these numbers will be used to invest in neighbourhood policing and be more present and more proactive in preventing crime and solving problems in communities.”

Vsit: https://northyorkshirepolice.engageats.co.uk/LoginV2.aspx to view current job vacancies.