Sussex Police welcomes 42 new officers

Sussex Police have welcomed the next intake of Police Constables and Detective Constables.

42 new officers were attested at a ceremony at East Sussex National Hotel on Wednesday, November 2.

They, along with friends and family, were joined by Chief Constable Jo Shiner, High Sheriff of West Sussex James Whitmore, Lloyd Hanks JP and Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne.

There are multiple entry routes for people who wish to embark on a career which promises to be like no other.

In this case the 42 officers will be travelling down three paths on route to becoming a fully qualified constable or detective.

A third of the officers (14) will be following the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship route, 12 officers will be going down the Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Program route and the final 16 will be embarking on the Detective Constable Degree Holder Entry Program path.

Charlotte Richardson and Sam Hughes were two of the 42 officers attested on Wednesday (November 2) and explained some of the reasons they joined Sussex Police and what they are looking forward to in their new career:

Charlotte Richardson, 18, from Lewes.

“I am really excited to join Sussex Police and looking forward to getting to know the community while widening my knowledge with policing. I have heard how Sussex Police is like joining a family and I am looking forward to being the latest addition to that family. People who know me would say I’m a patient person with a lot of compassion and discipline to what is right which is why I chose a career in policing.

“Furthermore I hope that my characteristics may change people’s perspective on the police and strengthen the trust between communities and police. Overall I want to do the best job I can, see how my career within the force progresses and will never give up!”

Sam Hughes, 27, from Havant.

“I was inspired to join Sussex Police after seeing their advertising campaign having studied Criminology (Policing) and even volunteered as a Special Constable in the Metropolitan Special Constabulary. Sussex Police is one of those police forces that I have heard of with a big family ethic. During my pre course webinar we had the Chief Superintendent for West Sussex on the call and even though he was supervising a firearms assessment, it really felt humbling to see that he could spend the evening talking to us and answering questions. My ambitions are to specialise in either roads policing or armed response and I would like to go up the ranks to Superintendent if I can.

“The recruitment team is also a credit to your organisation, they answered all my questions without hesitation and were really clear and concise at keeping me up to date on everything. This organisation has been really good from the moment I applied and I feel as though this would be a really good place for me. I want to maintain and strengthen community relationships to the best of my ability and help everyone I can. I want to build friendships and assist my colleagues in any way I can to be the best police officer I can. It feels like my life has come full circle being born in Crawley before moving to America, Reading, London and Hampshire but am now serving the area I was born in.”

Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “Policing remains an attractive career for people and our recent recruitment numbers demonstrate this. It’s an honour to welcome these 42 officers into the force and I look forward to seeing how their careers blossom within Sussex police. This year has been a busy year of attestations in Sussex and I am excited to welcome more recruits in January.”

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “It was a pleasure to attend this week’s attestation ceremony and see our new recruits swear their oath to His Majesty the King as they become Sussex Police Constables. This is an extremely significant day for all new officers and one that they will undoubtedly remember throughout their policing career.

“I am also pleased that Sussex Police are on track with the recruitment programme despite the challenges of the last two years and that they continue to build upon the number of police officers who will keep our county safe."

Sussex Police are welcoming applications from people looking to be the next officers and detectives, more details and the different entry routes can be found here.