Major increase in female Leicestershire police officers

Police and crime commissioner Rupert Matthews with Temporary Leicestershire Chief Constable Rob Nixon and Insp Lindsey Madeley-Harland, NPA Commander for Rutland and Melton, one of 852 female officers in the county force

A major increase in the number of female officers in the Leicestershire Police force has been hailed as ‘a fantastic achievement’ by the local police and crime commissioner.

Rupert Matthews welcomed news that the number of women now serving has risen from 580 to 852 in the last three years, a proportional increase of 30.7 per cent to 36.5 per cent of total officers.

The percentage of female officers has grown significantly since 2019 when the government’s ‘Uplift Programme’ was first announced.

In total, 297 extra police officers have been recruited through the scheme, well ahead of the target date set for the end of March next year.

The force is aiming to increase female representation to 37.2 per cent by the time the national recruitment programme closes.

Mr Matthews said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I am really proud of the force for continuing to meet its ambitions to recruit a fair and representative workforce.

“Ensuring our police officers fairly reflect the communities they serve is very important to me. I know the chief constable and senior leaders are working equally hard to increase diversity within the force with new support strategies and innovative recruitment processes to attract candidates from our ethnic minority communities.

“The uplift in officers on the streets is good news for everyone living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Our new officers are already making their presence felt across our neighbourhoods and I am looking forward to welcoming the remaining recruits over the next few months.”