South Yorkshire Police to recruit hundreds of extra officers after Government announces new funding

20,000 new officers will be hired across the UK over the next three years, with a ‘substantial’ number of those coming to South Yorkshire, police bosses said.

The national recruitment drive was one of the first actions of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which new policing minister Kit Malthouse MP said would cost £500m over the first year.

The news was welcomed by South Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who said the new officers would be in addition to the extra 220 officers that the force had already committed to recruiting.

He said: “This is exactly what local people have been asking for and I am particularly excited at the opportunity that this represents.

“Given that the announcement has only just been made, there is more detail to follow but as one of the larger forces in the country, I am confident that our share of the uplift will be substantial.”

Mr Watson said he hoped the new investment would allow the force to sustain the momentum it had achieved after they being judged the most improved force in the country over the last three years.

“We have great aspirations for the force and we are determined to do the very best for the public whom we serve,” he said.

“We will have more police officers doing more policing and doing it well, this is unadulterated good news for the force and the public alike.

“We have already begun the detailed work to expand the necessary infrastructure and so are determined that we will be able to welcome the anticipated influx of officers in good time.

“This includes a significant recruitment campaign with opportunities for people in a range of roles, and through a number of routes.”

Details of the job roles available would be posted to the South Yorkshire Police website in due course, he added.

The numbers of police officers in the UK has fallen sharply over the last decade, with 20,000 lost across the country between 2010 and 2018.

South Yorkshire Police has lost more than 100 frontline officers over the last three years alone, at the same time as the number of violent crimes recorded in the county more than doubled.