MORE than two dozen new police officers completed their training and will take to the streets of North Yorkshire.

Following an 18-week training course, 29 new North Yorkshire Police officers took part in a passing out ceremony at police headquarters in Northallerton on Friday, November 23.

The officers, who joined the force in July, have studied legislation, police procedures, personal safety and live-action scenarios to prepare them for the beat, and will now complete a period of tutorship under guidance of more experienced colleagues before they can be confirmed as independent police officers.

Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain hosted the ceremony and said: "My congratulations go to the new officers who have reached a major milestone in their career and should be very proud of their achievements. At North Yorkshire Police we continually strive to improve the standards of service that we provide to our communities, and the student officers here today will play a vital part in that ongoing process - as well as embodying our values of courage, compassion and inspiration in their new roles.

"Policing is a challenging job, and the support of family and friends is extremely important, so I would like to thank all our officers’ families and friends for their support and the sacrifices they have made so far and those they will make in the future."

The officers will be based in local policing teams, with seven assigned to Harrogate, six for York, four each for Scarborough, Northallerton and Selby, and one each for Thirsk, Richmond, Whitby and Ripon.