A RECRUITMENT drive is underway to get more police officers on the beat in North Yorkshire.

The force which had about 1,300 officers earlier this year is aiming to boost its ranks to 1,400 officers in the next two years, and has launched a new campaign for police constables, or student officers.

Successful applicants undertake an 18-week training programme, where they learn the law and key communication skills, followed by 15 weeks serving placements in a number of policing departments. After this, PCs then serve a two-year probationary period, before becoming a fully-fledged police constable.

Chief Inspector Mark Khan said: "It’s an exciting time to be joining the police force. This job changes you and brings out all the positive qualities inside of you. No other job gives you the sense of satisfaction like this job does – you are helping people in their time of need and assisting when they are at their most vulnerable. You will be the frontline of the criminal justice system and responsible for protecting the public, preventing crime and the maintenance of public order.

"Police Constable is a professional role and following a successful probation the career opportunities are numerous – successful applicants could choose to pursue specialisms such as serious crime team, Cybercrime Unit, Economic Crime Unit, Firearms Support to name a few. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences and we recognise that the more diverse our force can be and the more it can reflect the society it polices, the stronger it becomes."

A video on the day-to-day life of police constables in North Yorkshire can be viewed on the North Yorkshire Police YouTube channel, and follows two response PCs from the force - PC Leah Gillon based in Scarborough and PC Arfan Rahouf of the Rural Taskforce - as they attend calls and deal with daily challenges, along with information and advice about the application and training process.

For more information or to find out more about applying go to northyorkshire.police.uk/jobs