POLICE and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson says he is “delivering” on the recruitment of new officers in the county having surpassed a target set by the Government, despite his expected failure to deliver on his own recruitment pledge.

Gloucestershire Constabulary was charged with securing 153 new officers out of the Government’s proposed target of 20,000 more officers, part of the Conservative manifesto in 2019. 

When the three year period closed at midnight on March 31, the Constabulary had recruited 164 new officers. 

Since then, the Home Office has accepted the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) bid for funding a further 10, taking the projected total by September 2023 to 174. 

Nationally, the government hit its target to recruit 20,000 more police officers. 

It means the number of officers is about 3,500 higher than it was in 2010, when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats began cutting police numbers.

Chief Constable Rod Hansen said, “I am very pleased that we have succeeded in meeting our recruitment targets for three years in a row - this means we can provide an enhanced service to the public, in particular to victims and those at greatest risk of harm.

“These recruitment targets were ambitious and challenging, not least in a competitive labour market. To have attained 164 extra officers against a target of 153 is, I believe, a testament to the high regard in which our Constabulary is held.

“It means we are now eligible for some additional funding from the Home Office that will allow us to recruit some extra officers this year.

“We intend to use this significant boost to our numbers wisely, deploying officers to those areas where they are needed most based on a considered understanding of where demand and vulnerabilities are highest”.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Chris Nelson has been repeatedly criticised since his election in 2021 for his predicted failure to deliver on a manifesto commitment to recruit 300 new police officers and 150 special constables - 450 people - by the end of his four-year term. 

He told a police and crime panel last year that he would be “jolly lucky” to recruit the full 300 officers he promised in 2021.

Last February he told councillors the constabulary would recruit 400 extra personnel, but only around 200 would be full time.

He said he had to change his priorities after a visit by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found the force was ‘inadequate’ in five areas of policing, including how it investigates crime.

He was again criticised last summer when, under questioning from councillors, it emerged just 50 of the 200 full time staff promised were police officers.

On surpassing the government target, Mr Nelson said: “Strengthening the front line was always one of my main objectives. People have told me they want to see more officers on their streets and that’s what I am delivering.

“The Constabulary is undergoing a major re-organisation at the moment, with the aim of providing the service people want, that enables them to tackle the crimes that matter to them the most, and be more visible in our communities.

“Gloucestershire now has its highest number of police officers in recent years. Once they are all fully trained, they will boost numbers dealing with the public and enable the Constabulary to focus on community issues as they arise, leading to more enforcement.

“We recently saw a number of concerted operations aimed at tackling drug related crime. It’s the sort of proactive policing that reassures the public, the police want to do, and I want to see. Officers will have more scope to do this sort of work, thanks to the extra numbers I’ve secured”.