Sussex Police welcomes almost 100 new police constables and detective constables to the force

The 99 police constables and detective constables were attested at a ceremony at East Sussex National Hotel on Wednesday 4 October.

The new recruits proclaimed their oath to King Charles III in front of distinguished guests including Chief Constable Jo Shiner and High Sheriff of East Sussex Richard Bickersteth.

Of the 99 people joining the force, 67 of those will be training to be police constables while the remaining 32 will be training to become detective constables.

This year, there has been a 15.2 per cent increase in officers identifying as black, Asian, or ethnically diverse, the highest the force has ever seen.

And female officers accounted for 51 per cent of the new recruits.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “I am incredibly proud to welcome 99 new officers into Sussex Police and I am looking forward to seeing how they embark on their new career and the positive impact they are going to make policing our communities.

“They will help us achieve our key priorities of protecting our communities and the wider public, catching criminals and delivering an outstanding service to victims and witnesses and the public.

“We are happy to be able to offer a variety of entry routes into policing here in Sussex. It provides more choice and flexibility for those wishing to make a positive difference in their communities.”

Among the new recruits is dad-of-one Ben Fisher, 30, from Newhaven, who will be joining the Initial Police Learning Development Programme (IPLDP+), a non-degree scheme now offered alongside other entry routes, providing a greater choice to aspiring police officers.

He said: “For the last four years I have worked in the contact centre at Sussex Police, both as a call taker dealing with emergency and non-emergency calls.

“Most recently I have been a controller. I have dealt with numerous incidents as you can imagine. I have gone from taking the initial emergency call to dispatching the units. I now wish to be on the frontline working from the other side and tackling crime and being there for those who need it most.

“My late father was also a Special Constable for Sussex Police many years ago, so I guess this is where my dream of becoming an officer came from.”

Kevin Meredith, 45, from Brighton, is putting down his camera to embark on a new policing career. The self-employed photographer and web developer will be joining the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) route, which results in a degree while learning and earning.

Dad-of-one Kevin said: “I might be different as I imagine I am going to be a little older than the average starter.