Home Secretary surprises new Herts police recruits

The Home Secretary surprised the latest cohort of new Hertfordshire police officers when she arrived to watch their special passing out parade on Friday.

Priti Patel joined the family and friends of our 18 student police officers in celebrating the end of their initial training at police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City.

Chief Constable Charlie Hall officially welcomed them to Hertfordshire Constabulary and presented the officers with framed certificates to mark the end of their initial training, with Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd and his deputy Lewis Cocking also in attendance.

The group of 14 men and four women already had plenty of police know-how with ten former Police Community Support Officers, three former emergency call handlers and a number of former Special Constables among them.

David Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, said: “I would like to welcome these new officers to Hertfordshire Constabulary. They are embarking on a challenging career, but one which brings huge rewards, opportunities and makes a real difference to our community.

“For several years now, I have increased the council tax because residents have told me they want extra officers on the streets. The Constabulary and I have delivered on this and Hertfordshire now has more frontline officers than ever in its history.”

“It is always a great pleasure to welcome new police officers into the Hertfordshire police family,” said Mr Hall. “You can see the pride in the faces of their parents, family and friends in the audience. Pride at what they have already achieved by becoming a police officer and pride in what they will achieve during their long and rewarding policing careers. The desire they have to now get out into our communities and make a real positive difference to people is tangible.

“I’d like to reassure their families that we will look after their loved ones, we are one big family, and we look out for each other. We train them well and work as one big team.  Policing really is a superb career choice, they won’t regret it because it is true – no two days are the same and it is so rewarding to make a difference to people’s lives and our communities.”

The student officers now start their first postings with three officers based in Hertsmere; three in Watford; two in Cheshunt; Dacorum; St Albans, Stevenage and Three Rivers; one in North Herts and one in Welwyn Hatfield.

Their initial training included a mixture of classroom based and practical sessions, covering a vast range of topics including law and police powers, personal safety and dealing with volatile situations, first aid and safeguarding vulnerable victims. On-the-job training continues for three years until officers are declared fit for independent patrol and graduate.

Mr Hall added: “We’re still recruiting police officers from all backgrounds and walks of life, and I would especially encourage applications from our Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities as we want to fully represent the people we serve. Our dedicated Positive Action recruitment team are there to support you, with serving officers volunteering to mentor hopefuls as they prepare their application. Just get in touch.”