More crime fighters have been recruited to protect and serve people in Lancashire, with the Constabulary exceeding national police recruitment targets.

Lancashire Police has once again exceeded its national target to recruit an extra 509 officers. In October, 140 new officers were sworn in to begin their careers as police officers.

The force was found to have excelled in attracting female recruits, the only one nationally to encourage more women recruits than men to join.

Some of the officers are already on the beat, having completed their initial training, while others are with student development units.

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Chief constable Chris Rowley said: "I’m delighted that we have once again met our recruitment target. The Constabulary has worked hard to attract these new officers and they are a very welcome addition to the team.

"Once fully trained, they will be deployed to locations where they can have the biggest impact on cutting crime and keeping people and communities safe.

"We are proud and delighted to welcome them to the Lancashire Police family.” 

Andrew Snowden, police and crime Commissioner for Lancashire added: "It's fantastic to see more police officers joining the ranks and in addition to the Police Uplift Programme, I'm pleased to say that Lancashire is also recruiting a further 103 officers, funded locally, taking the total number of new officers to 612.

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"I continue to meet more and more of our newest recruits out on the beat as I visit neighbourhood teams across Lancashire, where the public wants to see them; tackling anti-social behaviour, disrupting criminal gangs and delivering on the other key priorities in my Fighting Crime Plan.

"It's through these new recruits and my close work with the chief constable that we will see the best possible use of additional resources coming into Lancashire, as we build on the recent His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services report that hailed Lancashire Constabulary as one of the best forces in the country, and ensure we deliver the effective and efficient police service that the public deserves."

Find out more about jobs with Lancashire Constabulary here.