Notts Police will take on 200 officers over the the next year after lifting a recruitment freeze to tackle rising crime.
The force has already taken on around 80 new officers over the summer and will start a new intake in September leading on to another 120, senior officers announced on Friday (August 4).
It is hoped the move will help the force consistently keep its total of police officers above 2,000. As of March 2016 the figure stood at 1,910 – almost 600 fewer than the force had a decade before.
Although over the ten years crime has halved in Notts, figures released last month show offences rose by 12 per cent in the last year – and knife crime is up by almost a third.
Notts Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping said: “I know that people want to see more police officers and PCSOs on their streets and neighbourhoods. They want to see a visible, easily accessible police presence in their communities. I can understand that, which is why I have been working hard with the force to secure enough sustainable funding for an increase in officer numbers.
“We hope to see the number of officers grow in Nottinghamshire to a figure approaching 2,000. However, that will depend upon November’s budget and the outcome of discussions on the police funding formula on Government funding.
“After a long recruitment freeze, today’s confirmation that we intend to fatten up the blue line is good news for both the community and the force.”
The decision could mark an end to the worst of a series of spending cuts which have slashed police resources.
Rising costs and falling grants mean Nottinghamshire Police has around £10m a year less to spend compared with five years ago, and has closed police stations, re-organised investigative teams and merged departments with other forces to cope.
Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, said: “I remain absolutely committed to raising the number of operational constables and I am confident that, through our work with the office of the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, we now have the financial plans in place to achieve this.
“The force is giving the public the chance to make a difference to the communities it serves. We want to attract and retain talented people with a diverse range of skills, experience and from a range of backgrounds who are committed to making us better at both what we do and how we do it.”
The next round of police officer recruitment opens on Friday, September 1.
It follows a flurry of activity in recent months, with the Force also currently recruiting for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).
