Police Now's Counter Terrorism Policing initiative expands to the North West and West Midlands as new officers are attested
Monday 17th March 2025
A pilot initiative which sees talented graduates recruited into Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has now expanded to the North West and West Midlands, as a cohort of new trainee detectives were attested at Police Now’s national academy today (17th March).
The latest data released by the Home Office shows that more people have been arrested for terrorism related offences in 2024 than in the four years previously. The new officers will help bolster the UK’s protection against serious harm and terrorist threat, as they are supported to become highly trained, qualified detectives on Police Now’s two-year National Detective Programme.
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst said: “This is the first time that we have welcomed detectives into our counter terrorism unit directly from Police Now, and so the path that the newly sworn in officers are on is an innovative approach for us and the new detectives.
“I am certain that the passion, ideas and energy that these officers will be bringing to CTP West Midlands will be pivotal in driving forward service, progress and change to the ever-evolving world of counter terrorism.
“I am looking forward to seeing first-hand what we can achieve together over the coming months and years. For now, I wish the new recruits the very best with their initial training and look forward to welcoming them into Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, once they have completed the academy.”
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, Detective Chief Superintendent Sarah Kenwright said: “The attestation of our new trainee detectives is an exciting step on their journey to becoming fully qualified detectives in Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW).
“Being attested is a significant milestone in a police officer’s career and it is a huge honour so I hope our new colleagues will feel a strong sense of pride today. Additionally, it brings with it an expectation that you will live up to the high standards rightly expected by the public.
“This is the first time we have taken direct entry detectives in CTPNW so we’re looking forward to welcoming this intake as we seek to bolster our efforts to protect national security. It’s also very positive to see such a high proportion of females in this intake as we continue to strive to make our service one which is more representative of the communities we serve and, therefore, more operationally effective as we bring together a broader range of lived experiences.
“The benchmark for securing a place on the Police Now programme was extremely high and we’re confident that the successful candidates will bring a strong mix of experience, skills, knowledge and ideas which will be hugely beneficial for us and, ultimately, the public.”
Of the 148 detectives attested at the national academy today, 45 will move into CTP West Midlands teams with West Midlands Police and 8 will move into CTP North West teams with Greater Manchester Police on this specialist stream of the programme. 8 officers will move into the Metropolitan Police Service’s CTP unit SO15, where the programme stream successfully piloted last year – with one Met trainer crediting the pilot for his ‘renewed sense of enthusiasm and optimism for policing.’
They will gain key policing and investigative skills and knowledge on the programme before moving into CTP teams to prevent, deter, and investigate terrorist activity alongside their experienced colleagues.
Police Now, a Times Top 100 Graduate Employer, drives innovation across national police training and recruitment and delivers essential difference to the service. It particularly focuses on recruiting and training those who had not considered a career in policing before and consistently brings more women and individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds into the service; contributing to a more diverse and operationally effective police service which better represents the communities it serves. 64% of these new CTP recruits identify as women and 20% identify as coming from an ethnic minority background, both higher than the policing national average.
Police Now’s Chief Executive Officer Kurtis Christoforides, who addressed the officers at their attestation ceremony today, said: “This programme is for the dedicated, the resilient and the hard-working graduates who want to make a difference in society and be at the forefront of change and innovation in policing.
“Our brilliant new recruits attested here today will help us deliver new initiatives on our National Detective Programme and will all play a part in building public trust and confidence in policing, supporting victims of crime, and protecting the public from harm. I have huge faith in their passion for public service and wish them luck on their journey ahead, as Police Now and our partner forces support them to meet the highest possible standards and become exceptional investigators on the frontline.”
