The Home Secretary said the new recruits would help to keep Britain’s streets safer and provide a “vital boost of energy to respond to the pandemic”. The Government only anticipated around 2,000 joining in the eight months since it launched a massive recruitment drive last year. But latest figures show more than 3,000 have joined the thin blue line. Ms Patel said: “The police have had to respond to unprecedented challenges presented by this global crisis – and I am incredibly proud of how they have done so.

“But one thing has not changed – our commitment to them and the public.

“I’m delighted we have added an extra 3,005 police officers to the ranks of our forces. 

“This means another 3,000 police to tackle hidden crimes like domestic abuse and reassure victims they are not alone.

“It means another 3,000 friendly faces on patrol, providing reassurance to communities.

“And it also means another 3,000 officers to engage, explain, encourage, and where necessary enforce the social distancing rules, which have been so effective in protecting our NHS and saving lives.”

Ms Patel launched the police recruitment drive Be a Force for All alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson in September and said the figures showed the Government was on target to meet its flagship manifesto pledge to recruit an additional 20,000 officers by 2023.

The additional officers now bring the total strength of frontline policing in England and Wales to 131,596 after numbers fell by more than 20,000 over the past decade.

The new recruits are aged between 22 and 37 and Ms Patel warned they had joined at an “unprecedented time for policing”.

In February the Home Secretary promised to change the law so thugs who attacked the police were jailed for longer.

She said punishments dished out to criminals who target officers were not yet severe enough and offered no deterrent. 

Consolation has started on a new Police Covenant – the first contract between the Government and the police.

After decades of hostility Ms Patel wants tens of thousands of rank-and-file officers and their families to finally feel valued and supported.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express at the time she said: “This is about correcting the wrong in terms of the lack of support that exists for our amazing police officers. 

“I have no doubt at all my predecessors cared fundamentally about their health, wellbeing and welfare, but I think something has given and this is one of those moments where we just have to stop and do this now to ensure policing is protected and supported.”

The commitment was seen as a pledge to heal the historically volatile relationship between the Government and police after years of spending cuts. 

John Apter, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “While this does not undo the damage done by a decade of cuts to policing, it is definitely a step in the right direction to rebuild what we had before austerity measures hit hard. I completely accept that as a result of the current crisis the Government has financial pressures, but policing must be a priority and a genuine increase of 20,000 officers is essential so my colleagues can keep the public safe.

“The way we assess, recruit and train new recruits has changed significantly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is crucial standards are maintained throughout the whole recruitment and assessment process.”

COMMENT BY PRITI PATEL

Before the coronavirus outbreak, we made a promise – to put an extra 20,000 police officers on your streets.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every sector of our society, but especially our frontline services.

The police have had to respond to unprecedented challenges presented by this global crisis – and I want to say that I am incredibly proud of how they have done so.

But one thing that has not changed due to Covid-19 is our commitment – to them and to you.

So I’m delighted that this week we announced we have added an extra 3,005 police officers to the ranks of our forces as part of this campaign.

This means we are well on course to hit our target of recruiting an additional 6,000 police officers by March 2021.

This means another 3,000 police to tackle hidden crimes like domestic abuse and reassure victims that they are not alone.

It means another 3,000 friendly faces on patrol, providing reassurance to communities.

And it also means another 3,000 officers to engage, explain, encourage, and where necessary enforce the social distancing rules, which have been so effective in protecting our NHS and saving lives.

These new recruits are already providing a vital boost of energy and ideas to help respond to the pandemic.

We’re working closely with the College of Policing to ensure that recent joiners can get trained up and out on the beat as quickly as possible.

New recruits are receiving tailored initial training which means they can be deployed to the frontline as soon as possible.

The pandemic has created unforeseen hurdles to such a massive recruitment drive.

But we’re not going to let up now.

Our partners at the College of Policing are rolling out a new online assessment platform.

This technology will take candidates through a rigorous testing process to ensure they have what it takes to join the police.

And crucially, this means that forces can continue taking on new recruits, despite the challenges posed by Covid-19.

We’ve always said we will give the police the resources and support they need, and we’re delivering on that pledge.

We’ve injected the police system with a £1.1 billion funding boost – the biggest in a decade – to get the first year of the uplift off to a flying start.

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And at this time of pandemic, we’re putting the wellbeing of our brave police officers and staff first.

This Government has prioritised testing for all essential workers – including police officers and support staff – as well as members of their families.

This means that any police officer or staff member can get the information they need to either self-isolate or return to their job.

We’re also cracking down on those despicable people who think they can cough or spit at police and get away with it – anyone found guilty of such disgusting crimes will face the full force of the law.

Policing has always been a job like no other.

But this time of global crisis is showing just how courageous and dedicated our police officers really are.

I’d urge anyone considering a career as a police officer to visit www.joiningthepolice.co.uk and find out more.

Being a police officer is a real way to make a difference. I encourage you to take the opportunity.

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