North Yorkshire Police recruit more female officers than male in last 12 months, new figures reveal

The North Yorkshire force recruited 50 females compared to 38 males, Home Office statistics released today show.

Other forces to hire more women than men include Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire.

Out of the 12,076 police officers across Yorkshire, 63 per cent (7,689) just over 36 per cent (4,387) are female.

The picture is similar across England and Wales. Of the 137,704 officers, 66 per cent (91,695) are male.

North Yorkshire Chief Constable Lisa Winward has previously spoken of diversity within the force.She said: "It’s vital that the stereotypes of policing in times past become a dim and distant memory.

"Policing requires many skills that can only be brought to the service by an inclusive ans diverse workforce. We’re proud to have a high proportion of woman in senior roles at North Yorkshire Police, but there is more to be done to encourage the next generation of women into policing and ensure we are truly representative of the people we serve."

Home Office statistics show police forces across England and Wales have hired nearly 9,000 officers under the Government’s drive to recruit 20,000 by 2023, according to official figures - in a move described as “small steps in the right direction”.

An overall provisional headcount of officers stood at 137,704 in England and Wales as of March 31.

That includes 8,771 officers hired as part of pledge to hit 20,000 by March 2023, according to a quarterly report on the progress of the scheme.

The Home Office statistics reveal that the headcount of officers across the four Yorkshire police forces stands at 12,076 as of March 31, an increase from 11,433 at the end of March 2020.

A total of 976 officers have been hired across Yorkshire as part of the Government’s recruitment pledge with 495 for West Yorkshire Police, 269 for the South Yorkshire force, 154 for Humberside Police and 58 for North Yorkshire Police.

Chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation Brian Booth said: “It is good to see that West Yorkshire Police is seeing growth in officer numbers. Those officers who were recruited over the last 12 months, as part of the officer uplift programme, are starting to hit the streets of West Yorkshire.

" They have been in training, learning the skills they will need to be effective officers. This is good for their colleagues who have struggled to meet demand, due to previous cuts over the last decade, but it is also good for the public who deserve only the best efficient service.

His comments were echoed by South Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Steve Kent.

Mr Kent said: "We of course welcome the uplift and the force is trying its best to get as many recruits through the door to try and get our officer numbers back up to near to where they need to be.

"It does have to be noted though that even once the uplift is complete we will as a force only be up to where we were prior to cuts in 2010. So we need continued investment for us to grow as a force beyond that.

"The people of South Yorkshire deserve a bigger, better resourced police force and our officers who are working so hard need the increased numbers so their workloads return to a manageable level."