Cumbria Police’s new Assistant Chief Constable says force on target for record officer numbers

As part of a nationwide initiative to recruit more police officers, Cumbria Constabulary will see officer numbers rise to a record 1,367 – nearly 170 above the force’s previous highest number of 1,199.

Cumbria Police’s new Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Jonny Blackwell said that ultimately the current phase of recruitment will strengthen the force, potentially putting more officers on the beat.

But in the short term there will be fresh demands put on experienced officers who become involved in training new recruits.

There are currently entry routes into the force for both graduates and non-graduates, with the latter being offered a three-year policing apprenticeship option.

The rookie officers who study for the policing degree apprenticeship will will spend 269 days away from regular policing duties over their first three years in the job as they undergo training.

The force has partnered with The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to construct and deliver much of its training work for new officers.

ACC Blackwell said he absolutely wanted to see more officers on the beat across the county as a result of the boost in numbers.

But the training needs of the new recruits will create a necessary delay in reaping the benefits of a bigger force.

ACC Blackwell said: “This means that we may not be seeing all the benefits of new cops on the streets just yet - but it is a good story of a future where we certainly will have more police officers than we have ever had in Cumbria.

“We will also be recruiting for another intake of Police Community Support Officers in the coming weeks. The numbers of PCSOs has reduced recently as many have moved into roles with the Constabulary as police officers. 

“I know how important to communities PCSOs are and I look forward to recruiting for this fantastic role soon.”

Those who do join the force will eventually have the option of pursuing specialist areas of work, choosing from a wide range of options, such as detective work, digital crime, firearms work, or traffic policing.

Front-line officers are also occasionally drafted in for policing work elsewhere - such as at the recent UN COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow last year.

REPUTATION: There was criticism of police following the death of Sarah Everard

ACC Blackwell is well aware of the recent reputational blows that policing has suffered from high-profile problems at the Metropolitan Police in London, including the horrific case of Wayne Couzens, who raped and murdered Sarah Everard.

Such offending had shocked and sickened all right-thinking people, including police officers across Cumbria who have a passion for serving the public and their local community fairly and honestly, he said.

As police officers, they are expected to be role models in their communities and this means that appropriate standards are expected of them whether they are working or not, he said.

'The most gender equal force in the country'

There have been some marked cultural shifts in the Cumbrian force.

Under the leadership of the current Chief Constable Michelle Skeer, Cumbria Constabulary has become the most gender equal force in the country, with almost half of its officers being female.

Speaking about that in an earlier interview, Ms Skeer said: “It’s really important. It changes the feel of the organisation. We should reflect the society we serve.”

Ms Skeer is the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders. Around 48 per cent of the police officers currently serving in Cumbria are female.

In December last year, the Government confirmed a funding boost of up to £1.1 billion for this policing nationally year as part of efforts to drive down crime and deliver "safer streets for all".

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "We must go further and faster to make our communities even safer, so I am giving our excellent police forces and law enforcement agencies more funding to do just that, in line with our Beating Crime Plan.

"Reducing crime is a top priority for this government and I will continue working with police leaders to ensure this unprecedented investment results in less crime and fewer victims."