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Press release

Record breaking diversity as almost 200 Police Now neighbourhood officers attest to serve London

Record breaking diversity as almost 200 Police Now neighbourhood officers attest to serve London

Tuesday 23rd July 2024

A group of almost 200 uniformed officers and their academy trainers stand in rows facing the camera. At the front of the room is a line of guest speakers and Police Now colleagues.
Police Now officers at their attestation, alongside their academy trainers, event speakers, and Police Now HQ colleagues (Photo credit: CLP Events)

196 new neighbourhood police officers were attested at Police Now’s training academy yesterday (Monday 22nd July), officially being sworn into the Metropolitan Police Service.

The new officers join the force on Police Now’s two-year National Graduate Leadership Programme, which recruits, trains and develops brilliant and diverse graduates, passionate about supporting the public and improving policing.

Police Now typically recruits those who hadn’t previously considered a career in policing and consistently recruits more diversity into policing than the national average – delivering essential difference into the service. On this cohort of the National Graduate Leadership Programme, 45% of officers identify as female and 30% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, including 10% from Black heritage backgrounds.

Detective Superintendent Joe Derilo from the Metropolitan Police Service, who witnessed the new officers swearing their attestation oath, said: “Congratulations on your attestation and welcome to the Met and policing, where your dedication to serving the city will pave the way for a rewarding career. By embracing this journey with integrity, courage, and professionalism, you will make a great difference to London and its diverse communities. Well done!”

This is the first cohort of Police Now officers wholly dedicated to the Met since Police Now became an independent national organisation. These officers are motivated to support the Met – the UK’s largest police force – through the well reported cultural and recruitment challenges it’s currently working to address. The new officers were addressed by Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, at a Police Now induction event in April prior to their official start this week – he talked them through his focus on the new Met for London plan to deliver more trust, less crime, and high standards.

The new officers will now spend seven weeks training at Police Now’s residential academy, developing core policing skills and knowledge, before landing in the Metropolitan Police Service for the remainder of the programme and beyond. They will be placed in communities across London and supported by their peers to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and build public confidence in policing as neighbourhood officers.

Police Now’s Chief Executive Officer Kurtis Christoforides said: “Police Now is committed to supporting the police service to recruit, train and inspire passionate and determined new recruits who will lead with honesty and integrity and face up to the challenges facing policing, helping to pave a positive path forwards.

“We know policing has much to do to build public trust and confidence, but I am encouraged by the number of dedicated new officers who were attested at our academy this week – a cohort wholly dedicated to policing London, our diverse and complex capital city.

“We have always placed neighbourhood and frontline policing at the heart of our mission, and over the next two years we will support these officers to develop the skills and confidence needed to make a real impact in policing and the communities they serve, alongside their many dedicated and hard-working police officer and police staff colleagues.”

Police Now was founded in 2014 and is now an independent organisation, supporting policing to innovate and diversify. Uniquely positioned to support the sector as the only national recruitment pipeline into policing and a Times Top 100 Graduate Employer, Police Now has partnered with 36 forces across England and Wales and recruited over 3,000 officers into the service.

Police Now officers swearing their attestation oath (Photo credit: CLP Events)

Notes to editors:

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Dorset Police

Police Now | Dorset Police
Scott Chilton - Dorset Police Chief Constable

Scott Chilton

Chief Constable

National Graduate Leadership Programme

Cohorts: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
No. of police officers enrolled: 6

National Detective Programme

Cohorts: —— —— —— —— 2019 2020
No. of police officers enrolled:

Visit the Dorset Police website www.dorset.police.uk