The Police Service of Northern Ireland has launched its first recruitment campaign in more than five years to sign up 100 new officers.
Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie launches the PSNI recruitment campaign.
As part of the campaign, a “familiarisation” event will take place in the Everglades on Tuesday next, 24 September. Hour-long sessions commence at 9.30am with last session beginning at 7.30pm. At present, the starting salary for a new officer is just over £23,259.
Arrangements are currently being put in place to maximise police recruitment, with the potential of appointing up to a maximum of 378 additional officers within 2014/15, if and when additional funds are made available.
Welcoming the recruitment campaign, Deputy Chief Constable, Judith Gillespie, said becoming a police officer was a “challenging and rewarding” career, but “it is not just a job, it is a vocation.”
She added: “Policing with the community is at the very centre of everything we do as a police service and I encourage people from all sections of the community to consider applying.
DCC Gilliespie said officers appointed would work directly with and make a “very positive contribution” to communities across Northern Ireland, so it was “vitally important” these officers were fully representative of the communities they would be working in,
She added: “Successful applicants will attend the Police College, Garnerville for an initial 21 weeks of intensive training which will include practical and operational policing skills, to ensure they are mentally and physically equipped to perform the important role of police constable.”
The Derry familiarisation event, one of a number taking place across the North, are aimed at promoting awareness among and encouraging applications from under-represented groups, in particular, young people, Catholics and people from the Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh areas.
Information is available from the www.joinpsni.co.uk website from today.