Essex Police has announced 150 new police officer posts will be created across the county over the next year.
The new officers will be paid for by the increase in council tax which equates to around an additional £12 a year on the average bill.
They will be recruited and trained this year, with the aim to get the officers out on the front line from January.
Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh said: “I’ve heard communities across Essex tell me they are hugely grateful for what my officers and staff do but people want to see more of us more often in their communities. I agree with them and my promise has always been that when funding allows we will invest in those local teams to help communities but also give my teams support.”
“Now we can put more cops in communities and give hardworking officers dealing with traumatic incidents more support and resilience. Over the last five years I’ve taken officers from local policing teams so they can work on harmful, complex crimes. That was never an easy decision but it was a right one and necessary to protect the people who need us most.”
“I know 150 officers in Essex cannot be the end of the story, though. We still face big challenges and we still have victims of crime who want more of our time than we are able to give. We’ll still have to prioritise our time and make really difficult decisions about the incidents we deal with. But today’s announcement is a start and it makes the thin blue line a good deal less thin in Essex.”
Tags: Essex, Police, Council Tax
