TRAINING new police recruits in Jersey will save £150,000 a year, while also helping ensure a “robust pipeline of candidates” to address staffing shortages, the force has said.
And, the shift to a local training programme has been met with a “very positive” response, the police said as it started the search for its next intake of student officers.
Five new recruits were sworn in at the Royal Court on Friday, while an application window for the next batch opened on Thursday and is due to close in early June.
It comes just weeks the Jersey Police Authority warned that the dwindling number of officers – which stood at 195 as of last year – was “not sustainable” in the face of “increasing policing demand”.
A States police spokesperson described the latest recruitment campaign as “a proactive measure to ensure that we have a robust pipeline of candidates ready to join us when we need them”.
They continued: “This foresight is crucial for maintaining the high standards of service that our community expects and deserves.”
The spokesperson noted that, on average, the force loses ten to 12 officers each year from retirements and staff exiting the organisation.
“Officers leaving the organisation only need to provide four weeks’ notice, but the average time taken from recruiting on-Island to an officer independently patrolling is 12 months,” they added.
“If we aren’t sufficiently prepared, with a pool of recruits, it could result in a significant impact for teams covering vacancies.
“By planning ahead, we can address potential staffing shortages and ensure that we are well-prepared.”
Last year, the force revealed that it was moving student officer training back to Jersey, conducting the entire programme locally.
Previously the training had involved ten weeks of weekly travel to Norfolk, followed by an additional three-week course in the Island to cover specifics on Jersey law and local procedures.
Among the benefits of shifting to a localised programme cited at the time was an annual saving of approximately £150,000, which was previously paid to Norfolk Constabulary for training including travel expenses.
States police said the response to the new format, which is now a 20-week training period in Jersey, had been “very positive” both for the students and for current officers “who get to see and get to know each other whilst they are training”.
