Nottinghamshire Police named Armed Forces Employer of the Year

The force, which employs around 130 former veterans, was named ‘Employer of the Year’ at last week’s Nottinghamshire ‘Boots & Beret’ Awards.

The award, made by Nottinghamshire County Council on Thursday, recognises the force’s ongoing efforts to attract, retain, develop and support current and former members of the armed forces.

Nottinghamshire Police actively works to recruit former military personnel and has pioneered the first direct employment pathway for those in their military resettlement period.

It also operates an active Armed Forces Network providing support for veterans, reservists, cadet leaders and related armed forces family members.

In recognition of this work, the force has previously been recognised as a Gold standard employer by the Ministry of Defence.

It has now been recognised as the county’s best employer.

PCSO Steve Timperley, a former soldier and now chair of the Nottinghamshire Police Armed forces Network, said: “This award is the result of a lot of hard work from a lot of people and I am really proud to be a part of it.

“People who have served in the armed forces come with a fantastic skillset that can be ideally suited to modern policing.

“However, we also recognise that some of our veterans do find things tough on the outside and can also need our support in different ways.

“We have made giant strides over the past couple of years to ensure that we are giving our best to all of these people – both as an employer and a public service.”

PCSO Timperley was joined by Armed Forces Network colleague PC Luke Bettridge and Assistant Chief Constable Gary Hooks as the award was presented by Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Douglas Pulford.

Assistant Chief Constable Hooks added: “I was delighted to be part of this ceremony and would like to congratulate all the people who made this award possible. We have come a long way in our support of the armed forces community and are committed to continuing our ongoing initiatives in the future.”