Nine new police constables land in Cheshire Constabulary today (Monday 7^th November), where they will work to transform communities, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, and build public confidence in the police service as neighbourhood police officers.  

The new officers have just completed Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme academy, where they were equipped with the core knowledge and skills required of a police constable. The seven-week residential academy trained 148 new police constables, who all land in their respective forces across the country today and are part of over 2,450 officers who have been recruited nationally by Police Now to date.  

The officers were selected out of thousands of applicants to Police Now’s programme, which recruits, trains and develops outstanding and diverse graduates with a commitment to public service and a belief in the enormous positive social change that exceptional community policing can deliver. 

The officers will now continue to develop their leadership and problem-solving skills in force for the remainder of the two-year programme and beyond. They will also work towards their Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice, in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University.  

Police Constable Alexander Johnson, who has just completed the academy and joins Cheshire Constabulary today via the programme, said: “The Police Now academy has been one of the most challenging but rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life. We are an extremely close group which has helped us overcome the demanding times. I am looking forward to taking the education and experiences that I have learned throughout the academy and applying them on the beat.” 

Police Sergeant Mark Jenkins, an experienced officer seconded from Cheshire Constabulary to train the new recruits at the academy, said: “I am immensely proud to see how the Cheshire Police Now participants have come so far in such a short time. I have observed a group of nine individuals from different backgrounds come together and bond as a team. They have worked and supported each other in learning. The academy time is compact with significant learning requirements, but the officers fully committed and worked together to overcome the challenges this brought. They have all demonstrated a willingness to learn both new knowledge and skills. I have observed them develop and grow in confidence in a matter of weeks. Their enthusiasm in training will continue when arriving at their respective Local Policing Units. I look forward to seeing them continue to grow and be a much-valued asset to their new colleagues and the public. I wish them the very best for their new and exciting careers in policing.” 

Police Constable Juliet Taylor was formerly a Michelin star pastry chef before pursuing her dream to become a police officer with Police Now. She has been sharing her full academy experience here.

Applications for Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme are currently open. To read more about the impact that Police Now officers are making nationally, please see their latest Impact Report here.