Thames Valley Police reports an increase BAME and female recruits

Thames Valley Police released new data yesterday (October 28), which reveals an increase in the number of women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representing the force.

Police say the increase is linked to a recruitment initiative called the 'national police uplift programme'.

In a 12-month period the force has increased its female contingent by 12%, in comparison to the previous three-year average.

Now, Thames Valley Police reports that women make up 35.7% of the force.

Over the same time period, there has been a 7% increase in BAME people working for the police in the Thames Valley, this cohort makes up 15.4% of the force.

People aged between 19 and 55 have been hired under the new programme, Thames Valley Police reveals.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable John Campbell said: “A diverse workforce is an important part of our operational effectiveness and is an essential element in maintaining public trust in policing with all of our communities.

“Attracting people from a range of backgrounds brings knowledge, expertise and insight and helps us to build stronger relationships with the public, enabling us to serve and protect them more effectively.

“We acknowledge the difficult times experienced recently in the world of policing, but we remain encouraged by the fact that more women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are applying to join us, to enjoy a fantastic career and make a difference to their communities.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel met with the new recruits yesterday at the force’s training centre in Sulhampstead, Berkshire.

The Home Secretary sat in on a training session focused on interviewing suspects.

Student police officer Josh Burgoyne, who is 19-years-old, said: “I want to help people and have a job which I can say I am proud of the work I do. 

“Wanting to be a police officer is not something you wake up one day and decide to do. It is something that you have always had a passion for.”

For others, like student police officer Catherine Titcombe, aged 44-years-old, joining the police has been a long held ambition, which she is now able to fulfil later in life:

“I started completing the application form to become a police officer over twenty years ago, and have started the process on several occasions since,” she said. “Something stopped me from completing it in the past, but I finally found the courage to go through with the full process. 

“The fact that I would also be given the opportunity to study at degree level was also a bonus, as when I had the opportunity in the past, I was not ready. 

“I feel like all the experience I’ve had in life so far has prepared me for now and I am really excited to become qualified and finally achieve my potential.”

Student police officer Sanika Mehta, aged 31, said: “Although I have enjoyed my previous jobs, there wasn’t always a sense of job satisfaction. I therefore decided that I wanted something more challenging and fulfilling. 

“Whilst working at a phone shop previously, the store was robbed. It was an awful experience and the first and only time I have been placed in a position where I was threatened with demands, and felt no sense of security or control over the situation.

"When the police arrived, I felt a huge sense of relief and safeness. I decided then that I wanted to join the police so I could give back and make others feel that sense of security.”

Another recruitment programme is opening in November, more information on the scheme can be found on the Thames Valley Police website here.