Record number of officers

• Essex Police reveals record number of officers in its 182-year history
• Passing Out Parade comes as, including new officers currently in training, the force reaches 3,623 Full Time Equivalent(*) officers, more than the previous high of 3,597 FTE in March 2010
• The force is on track to have 3,755 FTE officers by end of March 2023 due to investment from the Police Uplift Programme and the Essex Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner
• Funding has also helped create new specialist teams

Fifty-two new officers are preparing for front line duties in your villages, towns and cities after passing out today at Police Headquarters.

In a parade led by Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet and attended by the Home Secretary Rt Hon Priti Patel MP and the Essex Deputy Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Jane Gardner, the officers formally commenced their new duties as, including new officers currently in training, the force founded in 1840 reached record strength.

This means that later this year there will be more officers than ever before protecting and serving Essex.

And we project a force of 3,755 FTE officers dedicated to helping people, keeping people safe, and catching criminals by March 2023, thanks to public support and funding from both the Police Uplift Programme for 20,000 extra officers in England & Wales and also from the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

There has been investment in new policing units such as the popular Town Centre Teams which provide a visible reassurance to rural and urban communities and a deterrent to criminals.

There has also been investment in new specialist teams such as the Quest team, which investigates non-recent child sexual abuse, and the Domestic Abuse Problem Solving Teams, which break the cycle of abuse, supporting victims and bringing criminals to justice.

The new officers pledged their commitment to police with the consent of every community at a time when the force is welcoming more new colleagues from a range of different backgrounds.

Welcoming the new officers into the Essex Police family, Deputy Chief Constable Andrew Prophet said:

“I am immensely proud of everyone who steps forward, as our new colleagues have today, to protect and serve our communities.

"Essex Police is now the largest it has ever been. We may be stronger than ever before, but our Essex Police values remain the same.

"We work hard, we are thoughtful and caring in our actions, we listen to our communities and our priorities are simple: we catch criminals, we protect people and we keep people safe.”

Speaking at the passing out parade, Deputy Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Jane Gardner said: 

“It gives me huge pleasure to be here today to welcome our newest recruits as they begin their policing careers. Their commitment to helping keep us safe, protecting victims and supporting those when they need it most makes me incredibly grateful and their family and friends very proud.

“As they go out in our communities as ambassadors of the force, I know they will do so with fairness, integrity and impartiality. I am hugely proud of them all for stepping forward to do such an important job and wish them all the very best of luck in their future career.

“I also want to thank the people of Essex, whose contribution through the policing precept is helping to make Essex Police the strongest it has ever been.”

Addressing the officers, the Home Secretary Rt Hon Priti Patel MP said:

“We promised the British public 20,000 additional police and that is what we are delivering.

“The total number of police officers is now already at a 10 year high, including in Essex, with many more still on the way to make our streets safer.

“This means more resource to crack down on anti-social behaviour, burglary and violent crime, ensuring the public can have confidence that their police force is getting the basics right.

“I congratulate the brave women and men stepping forward to join Essex police to serve their communities. In return I know they will experience a very rewarding career.”

The new Essex Police officers are eager to get started.

PC Jessica Kerridge will be the newest officer in Clacton, and will be responding to emergencies across the Tendring district. She said:

“I’m ready to help those in need. Sometimes people just need to be listened to, especially if they’re worked up or are in a crisis.

"Just being that person there to listen to their concerns can be massive for someone that hasn’t got any support.”

When asked about which of the newer teams she’d be interested in joining later in her career, PC Kerridge said:

“I would like to get experience with our domestic abuse teams, including the Domestic Abuse Problem Solving Team, as they’re helping to break the cycle of abuse by focusing on the repeat perpetrators.”

PC Brooke Smith, who was formerly a call handler in our Force Control Room will now be relying on her former colleagues as she attends emergencies across Basildon. She said:

“It’s a massive accomplishment. We’ve waited so long to get here, but to now be here, it’s incredible.

"To know my family will be proud of me is really important.”

Join us today if you want to be a part of the next chapter in Essex Police history.

If you think you #FitTheBill, contact us today and you could begin your career with Essex Police within months.

If you’re applying as an officer, your starting salary will be between £25,812 to £26,682, plus £3,000 South East allowance. You can earn up to £43,032 over the course of seven years.

Officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector will receive an additional 10% of their basic pay for all hours worked between 8pm and 6am.

This payment is not pensionable and will be paid for each full hour worked.

Where overtime is worked between 8pm and 6am, the rate of the allowance is still 10% of basic pay, not 10% of the overtime rate.