PSNI launches drive for new student officers who ‘want to make a difference’

From today (Wednesday January 22), the public will see a three-week long multi-faceted advertising campaign that includes broadcast and print media, across social and digital platforms, aimed at attracting new recruits to embark on a 22-week training programme.

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher says he wants the PSNI to be seen as an “employer of choice” and be “representative of the community we serve”.

“Being a police officer is where you will change lives for the better because of the positive difference you will make for people and communities,” he said.

“It is a challenging and rewarding career where you play a vital role in protecting people and the communities you serve.”

Mr Boutcher added: “It is an exciting career, where no two days are the same.” He says with a starting salary of £34,000 on their appointment as a student officer, they will have the chance to learn and develop new skills as they progress through their career with access to a wide range of training opportunities they may “never have thought possible”.

Student officers will have the opportunity to attain and access qualifications, and will will be supported every step of the way, he said, adding: “There is no other job like it and we want people from all walks of life, from all communities, to join us.”

Mr Boutcher said these are “fantastic opportunities” for anyone who is interested in joining the PSNI.

“We’ll be undertaking a range of outreach and engagement activities in the coming weeks to encourage people from all communities, particularly those currently under-represented within the service, to apply for a career in policing,” the chief constable said.

“We must be reflective of the communities we serve if we want our communities to have confidence in us as a police service.

“We want to attract the best talent and be an employer of choice.”

Having been a police officer for more than 40 years, Mr Boutcher said he believes the PSNI is “one of the best police services in the world”.

Supporting the new recruitment campaign, Northern Ireland Policing Board chair Mukesh Sharma said: “Being a police officer offers a wide, varied and challenging role and one that provides the reward of a professional career with the ability to make a positive difference to the safety of our community.

“Policing is a career that also offers new opportunities for learning, development, promotion and progression. As a Board we encourage people from all walks of life and community backgrounds to consider policing as a career of choice as we want policing to be reflective and representative of the diversity of the community it serves.”

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) says the launch of a PSNI recruitment drive is an “essential first step” towards re-building officer numbers.

PFNI Chair Liam Kelly said: “Our hope is that this is a turning point. We have to halt the decline in officer numbers and work towards bringing the size of the Service up to where it needs to be.

“Reaching a headcount of 7,000 within three years is the ambition but it is all heavily conditional on the PSNI receiving a budget that allows it to go out and recruit.

“At present, we are 700 below the target figure of 7,000 and 1,200 short of the figure recommended for a peacetime service of 7,500.

“Our officers face appalling work pressures with units and sections operating dangerously below strength. This is a crisis that has to be tackled for the sake of our entire community and right now, I don’t see any appetite from our political leaders to confront the challenge.

“Today’s recruitment drive launch is most welcome and an important starting point, but we will have to wait until March before we know the budget allocation for policing from the Department of Justice. This will qualify what the PSNI can afford to bring into the service. We are wholly supportive of this announcement and will continue to be engaged with the service in helping to shape and configure the recruitment initiative.”