Nottinghamshire Police to recruit an extra 150 officers over the next year

In a joint announcement, the county's police and crime commissioner Paddy Tipping and chief constable Craig Guildford said the force would push on with its recruitment efforts to ensure communities across Nottinghamshire continued to benefit from its nationally recognised approach.

They were speaking after a further cohort of new police officers, recruited as part of the PCCs budget and the national uplift, were officially sworn into post during a passing out parade.

The force has now recruited the full 107 police officers pledged as part of the national uplift and a further 40 delivered by the 2020-21 budget – many of whom have already completed their initial training and are bolstering the frontline.

Plans are now underway to recruit a further 150 officers by March 2021 – bringing the total number of additional officers to almost 300.

Mr Tipping said: "This is a massive achievement and puts Nottinghamshire firmly in front.

"Since the upsurge of national funding was announced, we have hit the ground running to ensure our communities benefit from these extra resources as soon as possible and in the current crisis, where resilience will undoubtedly be tested in the weeks ahead, that has proved extremely prudent.

"A fully resourced police force helps us fight crime more effectively.

“We're already seeing the results of sustained investment, with knife crime falling, bucking the national trend.

“The new officers we recruit over the coming months will be vital to supporting these efforts and increasing our capacity to respond to threat.”

Mr Guildford added: "We are ahead of the national curve on recruitment of additional officers.

“I cannot stress enough how vital these new officers are for Nottinghamshire.

“In these times of uncertainty and change we need officers on our streets reassuring the public that we continue to bear down on criminals whilst helping the vulnerable as we strive to keep our communities safe.”