70 new officers ready to serve Essex

Seventy new officers are ready to keep Essex communities safe after taking their oaths to the King.

In a parade led by Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington and attended by the Essex Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst and His Majesties Lord Lieutenant Jennifer Tolhurst, the officers formally commenced their new duties.

The 42 men and 28 women are the first new officers to start their Essex Police careers in 2023.

They paraded in front of their friends and family having been put through their paces by the Essex Police Drill and Ceremonial Team.

Their recruitment, and that of officers currently in training, means we’re on track to have 3,755 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 Roger Hirst.

This investment has also seen the inception of new specialist teams such as Quest, which investigates non-recent child abuse, and the Domestic Abuse Problem Solving Team (DAPST), which aims to break the cycle of abuse, supporting victims and bringing criminals to justice.

There has also been investment to protect our urban and rural communities through the Town Centre Teams and Rural Engagement Team.

Chief Constable Harrington welcomed the new officers:

“Today you become Essex Police officers. You have stepped forward to protect and serve, just as I did 33 years ago, to catch criminals, to protect people and to keep people safe.

“In doing this, you have placed the needs of others before your own. This is what it means to be a British police officer.

“Keeping our society safe so that all can prosper is not a simple endeavour.

“To those who would do harm - you must be determined and relentless in your pursuit of justice.

“To those who are victims of crime - you must be caring and compassionate.

“To those you work with - you must be dedicated and diligent.

“And to all you meet, you must be respectful and trustworthy. You must police with consent – the consent of every member of our society, whoever they are, however they define themselves and whatever their beliefs. It will not be easy.”

Chief Constable Harrington also reflected on news that has impacted on policing this week:

“This week, I will be frank with you, has challenged our profession and it has challenged me. When I read about the appalling criminal acts committed by a former PC, David Carrick, who served with another force, I was saddened. He claimed to serve the public, yet he used our profession and the privilege that came with it to prey on women.

“I was also angry – how could someone who swore the same oath that we have sworn, cause so much harm and hurt to so many?

“But I was also determined. Determined that his acts would neither define me, nor you, nor our proud profession. Determined that our force, Essex Police, would do all we can to make our county a no-go county for anyone who thinks – wrongly – that they can be violent or coercive towards women and girls.

“I assure you now, Essex Police has one of the toughest security vetting systems of any organisation in the UK. We turn down scores of applicants, and rightly so. I also assure you that anyone who speaks up as so many brave people did about David Carrick, they will be helped and above all, they will be believed and we will act.

“Let me be clear – it falls to us, the many, to put right what has been done by the few. The very few, who thought they could use our profession to hide from justice and who have, as former PC Carrick found out, been proven wrong.”

And the Chief finished with a clear message for the new recruits:

“When I welcomed you, I reminded you that we police with consent. This isn’t just something we say. It is real.

“If people trust us, they feel safer. If they trust us, they call us and give us information.

“If they trust us, they believe you in the witness box and not the person who has hurt our community.

“You are now British police officers - Essex Police Constables.

“You now share the responsibility to maintain this trust, to carry it forward on behalf of those who served before and hand it on, intact, to those who follow after.

“Remember and live by the oath you have sworn and by the words it contains: fairness – integrity – diligence – impartiality, as you strive to help people, keep people safe and catch criminals.”

Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst, said:

“With the support of the public and the Government we have almost completed the ambitious officer uplift programme begun in 2018. By March, we will have 900 extra officers in Essex, making a huge difference in our communities and making our county an even safer place to live, work and thrive.

“This latest cohort of officers are passing out at time when our police service is working hard to build trust with our public. Women and girls’ safety is a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan, and I am committed to ensuring that Essex Police has the resources, systems and processes it needs, so it continues to be a service the public can have confidence, trust and take pride in.

“I am hugely proud of our new officers for stepping forward to do such an important job and wish them all the very best of luck in their future careers.”

At Essex Police, we value difference and it’s your values that matter the most.

Since July 2019, 40% of the force’s new recruits have been female.

We've also seen an average of 12% applications to join us coming from people who are from black, Asian or ethnic minority communities.

Looking for a secure career that's all about protecting and serving the community? Join Essex Police. Apply by the end of this week and you could be starting in March!

If you #FitTheBill, get in touch.

If you’re applying as an officer, your starting salary will be £28,812 to £29,682 (this figure includes a £3,000 South East Allowance) and you could be earning up to £43,032 within seven years as a PC.

In addition, officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector 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.