Tag: new recruits

Police: Almost 200 officers ready to deploy to Scotland’s communities

Scotland’s newest police officers have taken the oath of office at a ceremony at Police Scotland Headquarters, Tulliallan, today, Wednesday 27 March 2024.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell thanked nearly 200 probationary constables for their commitment to public service.

The recruits made the Police Constable’s declaration to faithfully discharge their duties with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, and promised to uphold fundamental human rights under the authority of Justice of the Peace David Donaldson.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “By joining Police Scotland, these constables are demonstrating a strong and shared commitment to improve the safety and wellbeing of the people, places and communities we serve.

“I ask our new officers, as their status changes from civilian to constable, to be mindful of the privilege, powers and responsibility they now bear. We expect high standards, as do the public. I ask our probationers to be professional and courteous and uphold our values at all times.

“Policing is truly a job like no other, it’s a way of life, and I know they will be challenged. At the same time, making a positive difference for communities and keeping people safe is an incredibly rewarding vocation.”

The intake of 195 recruits comprises 69 per cent male (135 officers) and 31 per cent female (60 officers) whose ages range from 18 to 54.

Of the intake, seven per cent identified as being from a minority ethnic group, totalling 13 officers, and languages spoken by recruits include Greek, Punjabi, Gaelic, Polish, Norwegian, Spanish, Afrikaans, Turkish, Urdu and Portuguese.

Two recruits were previously serving Special Constables with Police Scotland and 18 have previous military service.

The officers will undertake a 12-week initial training module before joining colleagues serving communities across Scotland during their two-year probationary period.

Visit our recruitment pages for more information about a career in policing.

Multi service exercise to train new staff to deal with road accidents

The Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland held a training exercise in the Borders recently for students and new recruits to practice responding to a road traffic collision (RTC).

The Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland held a training exercise in the Borders recently for students and new recruits to practice responding to a road traffic collision (RTC).

The exercise was held at Galashiels Fire Station on the 7th March and Hawick Fire Station on Tuesday the 14th March , with the aim of teaching participants  from each emergency service how to deal with a collision.

The mock exercise – held on the two nights with different groups of attendees – involved a two vehicle, high-speed, head-on collision, and saw different levels of responses.

Paramedic Lee Myers, SAS’s lead for the exercise, said: “This training has been designed around student and new recruit development, as we continue to welcome new staff into the Service.

“The exercise involved dealing with a serious RTC, with Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attending alongside the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“The participants from all the services did a fantastic job dealing with the incident which included casualties with potentially serious injuries.  We also had approximately 20 Queen Margaret University student paramedics attend on the night and crews dealing with a traumatic cardiac arrest, a roof off extrication, patients being fully immobilised, and much, much more.  

“The three services share an excellent working relationship and this has been a great opportunity to work on improving communication and joint agency working.   I would like to say a huge thank you to all involved for making this training exercise such a success.”

Area Commander Hilary Sangster is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Local Senior Officer for Midlothian, East Lothian and Scottish Borders.

She said: “Exercises such as this are important and hugely worthwhile for our firefighters to train to protect our communities alongside emergency service colleagues in a unique and dynamic environment – and also follow several months of planning.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved and especially Station Commanders Grant Fraser and Roy Bradley, and our partners for their continued commitment to this multi-agency training.”

189 new police officers sworn in

Scotland’s Chief Constable welcomed almost 190 new officers into policing and thanked them for their commitment to public service yesterday.

Sir Iain Livingstone QPM greeted 189 new recruits as they were sworn into the office of constable during a ceremony at Police Scotland Headquarters, Tulliallan.

Addressing the officers, Sir Iain underlined Police Scotland’s core values of integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights, and emphasised the duties of the office of constable.

Sir Iain, who announced his intention to retire this week, said: “Policing is a hugely rewarding vocation in which officers help our fellow citizens every day, right across Scotland.

“Making the Declaration of Constable is a significant day in the lives and careers of those who join this vital public service.

“I thank everyone who makes that important commitment to work for the benefit of others and to keep people safe. I am also grateful to the families and loved ones who support them.”

Of the new recruits, three were previously members of police staff with Police Scotland while five served as special constables. A further five have served with the armed forces.

Applications to become a Police Scotland officer can be submitted at any time. There is no upper age limit for potential recruits, who must have a good level of fitness and be at least 17.5 years old at the time of applying. More information can be found on our website.

Chief Constable welcomes new officers to Police Scotland

Female officers have accounted for almost half of the latest intake of probationary constables to join Police Scotland – and of the 179 officers who were welcomed into the policing family yesterday by Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, 82 of them were women.

A total of 12 per cent of the new intake are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The new recruits took their Oath of Office at a ceremony at Police Scotland’s Headquarters at Tulliallan Castle in Fife as the Chief Constable welcomed them into policing and a career dedicated to public service.

The Chief Constable said: “The Oath of Office marks the point at which our newest recruits are sworn into Police Scotland as Constables, embarking on their careers in public service.

“Although we have much still to do, this particular intake of new Constables reflects the progress Police Scotland has made in our drive to increase recruitment from under-represented groups.

“Policing in Scotland takes its authority and legitimacy from the people of Scotland and I remain committed to doing everything I can to ensure the service represents and reflects the communities we serve.”

A significant number of the recruits are graduates with degrees in disciplines including Law, Criminology, Psychology, Robotics and Cybertronics, Forensic Anthropology and Applied Pharmacology. The intake also includes six former Special Constables, a fraud advisor, civil servant, footballer and a civil engineer. 

Visit Police Scotland’s website for more information on a career in policing: 

https://www.scotland.police.uk