New Northumbria Police recruits start intensive training to prepare them to patrol the streets under lockdown

A new cohort of police recruits have been sworn-in as officers – and told their communities “need them now more than ever”.

The 79 recruits joined the ranks at Northumbria Police on Monday, and they'll undergo an intensive training period to prepare them to patrol local streets.

The Force have had an ongoing recruitment campaign - but due to the issues arising from Coronavirus (Covid-19), the Force were able to accelerate this, to allow the much-needed recruitment and training to go-ahead to increase officer numbers as soon as possible.

In the coming weeks they'll be trained so they're ready and available to take-up a number of potential roles to help support frontline officers during these unprecedented times.

Once restrictions around Covid-19 are lifted, they will then be able to complete the remaining aspects of their training to become fully-fledged officers.

Welcoming the new recruits, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said: “Of course, it’s a strange time to be welcoming new recruits but we need police officers now more than ever – I cannot stress this enough.

“I want to reassure the public that we’re still helping the vulnerable and doing everything we can to keep our communities safe during these unsettling times.

These new officers have joined the Force as part of the ongoing recruitment programme launched before the outbreak of Covid-19 and that initiative will continue as normal.

If you want to follow in the footsteps of these new recruits, Northumbria Police will be announcing details of virtual recruitment events for police officers.