FOLLOWING the recent launch of a major recruiting campaign by Hampshire Police, local police chief, Inspector Steve Mote, has told The Herald what effect he feels the campaign will have on Alton.
The Force launched the campaign, which includes newspaper and radio advertising, in a bid to solve the countywide shortage of officers. In the coming year, Hampshire needs to recruit 460 new officers, the biggest recruitment task the Force has ever faced.
In an effort to achieve this target, Hampshire Police has reformed its recruitment process. The age limit for new officers has been raised from 44 to 50, and newcomers can apply to join in their home town to avoid having to move house.
For the first time, the Force has three dedicated recruiting officers who will concentrate solely on this project. Julie Fry, Karen Deakin and Greg Stratton will be targeting companies where staff have been made redundant, meeting commuters as they arrive at railway stations and talking to shoppers in town centres. In the first week of the campaign, Hampshire Police has had well over 700 requests for information packs from potential new officers.
Inspector Mote said: ÒAlthough it is no secret that we are a little short staffed in Alton, we are doing fairly well in relation to the rest of the county. That is not to say that Alton is not getting sufficient police cover, it just means that we have to be a bit more careful about how we arrange shifts.
ÒWe currently have three vacancies, one due to retirement, one due to resignation and one due to transfer. One was a sergeant and two were community beat officers.
ÒThose applying would not go straight into these posts however, because all police officers have to serve a probationary period of two years, including their training, before they can move to other posts. These posts would be filled by existing officers at the station and the new officers would fill their vacant roles.
ÒOur staffing has been short since the beginning of November. I donÕt really know what kind of timescales we are looking at to get these positions filled, but the sooner the better really. Since the new scheme started, we have received two applications
ÒWhen I joined the Force, you joined Hampshire Police and you were posted to wherever the need for officers was. The Force has now come to realise that prospective new recruits may be put off by having to move house as soon as they join, so they have given the applicants the option of specifying where it is they want to serve.
ÒWith any luck, those who have already settled in Alton who have never thought about the police force as a career, will be given a new option to consider.
ÒWe are hoping that the Hampshire recruitment team will be coming to the town soon to help drum up some interest in the police force. We will be helping in anyway we can, showing people around the station, having a good chat with them and giving them first hand contact with officers already on the job.
ÒWe are looking for people from all walks of life with an interest in community issues. They have to be honest, have a sense of duty and high levels of integrity, and should be committed to certain ideals of law and order. Also, they should be someone with life experience which I think is so vital in a job like this. In short, we want people who can bring something special into the role of being a police officer.Ó
Anyone wanting to receive an information pack about joining the local Police Force can obtain one by contacting 0845 045 45 45 and asking for the front desk at Alton Police Station.