The number of front line police officers in Hertfordshire has now increased to over 2000 for the first time in eight years as 14 newly qualified officers have been welcomed into the Constabulary.
The seven men and seven women graduated having completed a 16-week training course at Longfield Training Development Centre in Stevenage, and the officers will now start their first shifts at their local stations across the county, putting into practice all they have learned.
The new recruits include five former Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), an ex-aircraft technician and a former teacher who will be based across the county.
The county’s taxpayers are paying for the new officers out of a recent £2 a month Council Tax police precept brought in earlier this year by Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd to help fund a total of 75 extra officers, in the area.
The training included a mixture of classroom based and practical sessions, covering a vast range of topics including law and powers, personal safety and dealing with volatile situations, first aid and safeguarding vulnerable victims.
The trainee officers also had opportunities to work alongside new Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service recruits, as they completed their respective training at the centre. This included joint exercises and the opportunity to get hands on with sophisticated fire brigade equipment.
During the graduation ceremony they paraded in front of Chief Constable Charlie Hall, Hertfordshire Police and Crime Assistant Commissioner Stuart Nagler and their soon to be chief inspectors as well as family and friends.
Chief Constable Charlie Hall said: “After a vigorous recruitment process these new officers have spent the last few months in intensive training to ensure they are fully equipped to deal with life on the front line. They
will be at the core of policing in the county and I am very pleased to welcome them to the Constabulary.”
Hertfordshire Police and Crime Assistant Commissioner Stuart Nagler told the new officers: “It is an honour to welcome you to Hertfordshire. You are part of the extra 75 officers being recruited this year who have been paid for by the £2-a-month Council Tax rise.
“Hertfordshire is one of the safest areas of the country, but there are dangers out there which you will be called on to protect the public from and I wish you the best in your careers.”
The officers who graduated will be in the following area:
Broxbourne – PC Nicole House and PC Denese Stainfield-Bruce
Dacorum – PC Lucy Hodgson and PC Kenia James
Hertsmere – PC Tommy Hopkins
St Albans – PC Andrew Moir
Stevenage – PC Natasha Angwin, PC Chloe Dagless and PC Andrew Kerr
Three Rivers – PC Mark Whyte
Watford – PC Ryan Bailey and PC Sam Symons
Welwyn and Hatfield – PC Ashley Masters and PC Chloe Roberts.