Seven new police constables land in Hertfordshire 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 Fiona Hitchcock, who has just completed the academy and joins Hertfordshire Constabulary today via the programme, said: “Spending the last seven weeks at the National Graduate Leadership Programme academy has been an overwhelming joy. Speaking on behalf of the Hertfordshire team, the intensity of the academy has strengthened our friendships and broadened our policing and legislative knowledge to an outstanding level. To work and collaborate with others of various skill sets, experiences, knowledge, and perspectives has been a privilege and these connections have laid a foundation for the rest of our careers. Thanks to our shared respect for Police Now’s mission, we have been emboldened to become the best version of ourselves and epitomise the core values of policing out in our home force.”

The new officers were trained at the academy by experienced officers seconded from Police Now’s partner forces, including Acting Police Sergeants Ellie Reeve and Colin Cheesewright from Hertfordshire Constabulary.

A/PS Colin Cheesewright said: “I became a Syndicate Lead (academy tutor) for Police Now to ensure these new officers were equipped with the knowledge and ethics required for the policing frontline. The officers I supported have achieved this and more. Throughout their training they have all had a growth mindset, showing passion and dedication throughout. I have every confidence that the officers will continue to develop their skills and use these to provide a fantastic service to residents of Hertfordshire.”

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.