Police officer recruitment plans (FOI ref: 194/26)
Request
Subject: Police Officer Recruitment Plans
I am writing to request information about police officer recruitment plans for your force for the forthcoming 12-month period. Specifically, I would like to receive the following details:
Planned Number of Police Officers to be Recruited
1a. The total number of police officer positions your force intends to recruit over the next 12 months.
1b. Which routes you intend to use to recruit by:
- PCEP
- PCDA
- DHEP
- PPD
- Detective programme
Recruitment Window(s)
- The expected or confirmed dates when recruitment windows will open and close for these police officer positions.
Support for Applicants
- Details of any support, guidance, or resources your force provides (or plans to provide) to applicants during the recruitment process. For example:
- Applicant workshops
- Preparation materials (e.g., for assessments or interviews)
- Dedicated applicant support contacts
- Outreach to under-represented or specific communities
Response
1a. The total number of police officer positions your force intends to recruit over the next 12 months.
The current number of police officer position we intend to recruit from 1st Jan 2026 to 31st Dec 2026 is 895.
1b. Which routes you intend to use to recruit by:
- PCEP
- PCDA
- DHEP
- PPD
- Detective programme
We will be recruiting via all the above entry routes.
- The expected or confirmed dates when recruitment windows will open and close for these police officer positions.
Our recruitment windows via the above routes are always open.
- Details of any support, guidance, or resources your force provides (or plans to provide) to applicants during the recruitment process. For example:
- Applicant workshops
- Preparation materials (e.g., for assessments or interviews)
- Dedicated applicant support contacts
- Outreach to under-represented or specific communities
During the selection we provide all candidates with College of Policing guide for candidates completing the online assessment. We have an Outreach Team that offers up to three 1:1 sessions with under-represented candidates to support candidates in preparation for the online assessment centre and in-force interview only. This is an opt-in service.