Aylesbury's police force reveals new recruitment drive

Aylesbury's police force has confirmed a new recruitment scheme for both degree holders and potential apprentices.

Thames Valley Police is welcoming applications for its Police Constable-Degree Holder Entry Programme (PC-DHEP) and the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA).

The application process for the degree holder scheme starts on August 8 and the apprentice scheme will welcome applications from September 1.

Since 2019 Thames Valley Police has recruited over 170 new officers. It says this is down to a new project launched that year in partnership with Bucks New University.

Statistics provided from the police force show in the past 12 months, 43.4% of those new joiners have been female, whilst 14.3% of new joiners have been from Black, Asian or Minority-Ethnic backgrounds.

A spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police said: "Our new student officers have ranged in age from 19 to 51, bringing with them a wide variety of previous life and work experience including community mental health support, the military, retail and leisure, foster care, the prison service, the travel industry, teaching, animal welfare, as well as university graduates and college-leavers; demonstrating that policing continues to appeal to a wide range of people.

"Despite their many differences, our new recruits all share a common purpose; to serve the public, protect our communities and keep people safe; it is this natural affinity to help others that we are looking for now.

"Policing is a challenging yet rewarding career. It offers opportunity for progression and specialization, plus unrivalled camaraderie and team spirit. It is not easy though; we serve the public 24/7, 365, demand is high and the reality is that you are dealing with people often at the worst moment of their lives who will be looking to you for support.

"We are looking for resilient individuals whose first instinct is to help and support others; the problem solvers and solution-finders, those calm under pressure, who ask questions and are curious, but also approachable with a natural ability to communicate with people from all walks of life."

People can register an interest in becoming an officer on the Thames Valley Police website here.

Both training courses combine operational training and academic study, the police force says.

A spokesperson added: "It is a fully immersive period of learning, with student officers trained in how to apply critical thinking, problem solving and evidence based policing skills.

"The emphasis remains on practical policing with the majority of learning undertaken ‘on the job’."

Chief Constable John Campbell said: “Attracting people from a range of backgrounds will bring different knowledge and expertise and help us to build stronger relationships with the public, enabling us to serve and protect them more effectively.

“We have had success in attracting more women into policing, but realise there is work to do to increase broader diversity within the force.”