Top dollar for Derbyshire police recruits

Mr Creedon discussed the matter with Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Charles at a strategic governance board meeting on Monday May 13.

Chief Constables across the country have the discretion to set a starting salary of either £19,000 or £21,999 depending on the local needs of the force and the qualifications and experience of the recruits.

Mr Creedon said: “I believe it is essential that all recruits should start on the higher salary so that we can attract the best candidates, including people from communities that are under-represented within the police service.

“It is vital that our residents and visitors have the best possible police service we can afford.

“The new salary scale was introduced following the Winsor Review into working conditions and salaries of police officers and staff. I agree with the desire of Tom Winsor and the Home Office to improve the standard and professionalism of policing, however I think a higher salary is more likely to attract the right candidates.”

Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Alan Charles, is also in favour of the plans. He said: “People who live, work in or visit Derbyshire rightly expect us to recruit the very best candidates to help keep them safe. The Chief Constable and I both agree that we need to attract high calibre, well qualified candidates who are representative of our highly diverse communities. I believe that this decision will help us achieve this and, importantly, within our existing budget.”

The recent registration period for those interested in becoming police officers closed last week. More than 1,900 people registered and more than 1,400 of them were eligible to move onto the next stage of the recruitment process which is an online skills assessment.