The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Essex has welcomed the news that there will be an extra 20,000 officers recruited across the country.

The Home Office confirmed today that officer recruitment targets for every police force in England and Wales aims to increase by 6,000 officers a year by 2021.

Essex Police has been recruiting heavily for the past 18 months, following two successive increases to the policing precept.

This means that by April 1 2020, there will be more than 3,200 police officers working to keep the people of Essex safe.

PFCC for Essex Roger Hirst said: “This latest Government announcement is good news for the people of Essex.

“It means we will have the funding for Essex Police to recruit an extra 135 Officers on top of the 368 extra Officers currently being recruited as a result of the increase in the police precept.

“Essex Police are already well ahead of their recruitment target of 3,218 by April 2020 and with this additional funding the total number of Officers will reach at least 3,353 by March 2021.

“This is excellent news and further cements our commitment in our Police and Crime Plan to deliver more local, visible and accessible policing for the people of Essex.”

He added: “I will continue to work closely with our Essex MPs and I thank them for their support for Essex Police.”

In September 2019, 270 men and women applied to be a police officer in Essex Police, beating the recent record of 210 earlier this year.

This uplift was achieved as a result of the force’s #FitTheBill campaign, where serving staff told the stories of becoming an officer.

This Is Local London:

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Essex Roger Hirst said more officers is "good news for Essex people."

Essex Police officer numbers (excluding Specials) will exceed 3,218 by March 2020, an extra 368 officers with the support of increases to funding brought about by the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner’s precept.

Home Secretary and Witham MP, Priti Patel, said: “The public are clear they want to see more police officers on their streets, whether they live in the city or the countryside.

“This is the people’s priority and it is exactly what the Government is delivering.

“Every single police force in England and Wales will be able to recruit additional officers this year to help keep all of our communities safer.”

Government funding for recruitment in 2020-21 will cover all associated costs, including training and kit.

The Home Office is extending a pilot to make it simpler for forces to use Section 60 for serious violence stop and searches.

Details of the government's announcement is available via the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-office-announces-first-wave-of-20000-police-officer-uplift