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Recruitment of 20,000 new police officers to begin 'within weeks'

The recruitment of 20,000 new police officers in England and Wales will begin within weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
The College of Policing welcomed the pledge but warned of "logistical challenges", partly because of concerns of a lack of instructors for training.
It is "not just getting people through the doors", its chief executive said.
Forces in England and Wales lost more than 20,000 officers between September 2009 and September 2017.

Read more here.

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Reply 1

londonmyst

That's a great soundbite.
I'll be interested in seeing how the plans are funded and the detailed logistics of recruiting/training the 20,000.

Reply 2

999tigger

Which government oversaw the cutting of police numbers? Irony.
A new recruit fresh out of college is not the same as an experienced officer who has been in the service for years.

Reply 3

Underscore__

Original post by 999tigger

Which government oversaw the cutting of police numbers? Irony.
A new recruit fresh out of college is not the same as an experienced officer who has been in the service for years.

Yeah, terrific irony, it’s almost as though not all Conservatives share exactly the same view on policy

Reply 4

random_matt

Good start, but lets not forget these are election stuff. He wants to appear nice in front of the public.

Reply 5

Notoriety

It's a good priority to have.

Not to mention a good source of employment for fresh grads.

Reply 6

999tigger

Original post by Underscore__

Yeah, terrific irony, it’s almost as though not all Conservatives share exactly the same view on policy

Yes the successive years of protest were deafening.

Reply 7

Napp

Original post by Underscore__

Yeah, terrific irony, it’s almost as though not all Conservatives share exactly the same view on policy

Not exactly the best of rebuttals there mate.

Reply 8

Jebedee

Let's be thankful Abott isn't in charge of payroll.

Reply 9

AngeryPenguin

Good. The rule of law is important to uphold, especially in these troubling times. I'm just worried Johnson will not put as much of a focus on diversity in the force as May did.

Reply 10

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Good, not that i could ever be a police person since pretty sure you are barred if you have bpd.
Next they can focus on increasing nurses, psychiatrists, doctors, paramedics etc

It's needed, tbh

I'm not looking forward to eet

Reply 13

Underscore__

Original post by 999tigger

Yes the successive years of protest were deafening.

Because obviously, unless you vocally protest, you agree

Reply 14

Underscore__

Original post by Napp

Not exactly the best of rebuttals there mate.

Thanks for the feedback

Reply 15

999tigger

Original post by Underscore__

Because obviously, unless you vocally protest, you agree

Yes because they were in the party and successive governments that oversaw the cuts.
You do know about the convention of collective responsibility?
Which are the members of the government who opposed the cuts and did something about it?

Reply 16

Underscore__

Original post by 999tigger

Yes because they were in the party and successive governments that oversaw the cuts.

But, like I said, that doesn't mean they agree with all policies implemented by that government.

Original post by 999tigger

You do know about the convention of collective responsibility?

I'm not really sure why you're bringing it up, it doesn't support your position. Collective ministerial responsibility wouldn't apply to Boris until 2016 and from 2016 onward, regardless of how he personally felt about police numbers, he couldn't say anything.

Original post by 999tigger

Which are the members of the government who opposed the cuts and did something about it?

What exactly would you have liked for him to do? He wasn't an MP until 2016 and from then he was under CMR until last year. Even if we suppose he was fervently in favour of police cuts all throughout the last nine years, it's not really relevant now and it's a bit of damned if you damned if you don't; he either doesn't hire more police and criticised or he does and then he's criticised.

Reply 17

999tigger

Original post by Underscore__

But, like I said, that doesn't mean they agree with all policies implemented by that government.

I'm not really sure why you're bringing it up, it doesn't support your position. Collective ministerial responsibility wouldn't apply to Boris until 2016 and from 2016 onward, regardless of how he personally felt about police numbers, he couldn't say anything.

What exactly would you have liked for him to do? He wasn't an MP until 2016 and from then he was under CMR until last year. Even if we suppose he was fervently in favour of police cuts all throughout the last nine years, it's not really relevant now and it's a bit of damned if you damned if you don't; he either doesn't hire more police and criticised or he does and then he's criticised.

He is a member of the Conservative party is he not?
His party that have overseen the police cuts in the first place.
I have never seen him protest about police cuts over the many years they have been taking place.
He has been in government, he has been an MP.

It isnt a damned if you do and damned if you dont situation, just instead of being a weasel admit the reason the police service has so few officers is because the conservatives cut them in the first place. It is highly relevant now because his party have been the ones cutting and thereby creating the situation you want to make them the heroes of.

Reply 18

returnmigrant

This recruitment is over three years. So it wont start immediately, and by the time is does Boris will be long gone and it'll get cancelled.

Its dog-whistle politics. Throw lots of goodies out to a gullible electorate, and then if you need a GE rather quickly (ie. because you can't get Brexit through the HoC without changing the complexion of the MPs voting on it) then you've softened them up nicely to think you are Father Christmas chucking money around on 'the things that matter' etc. Quite how he's going to pay for this no-one knows, and the Police College has already said the logistics mean it wont start anytime soon.

He's up in Scotland today - he'll chuck money-promises around there as well. Its all a shameful con.