Nottinghamshire force welcomes 20 new police officers

Following an 18-week training course, a small ceremony was held to mark their passing out at West Bridgford police station on Thursday.

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Superintendent Sukesh Verma said: “It’s really important especially given the current situation that we have a continuous drip of officers joining the force.

“We’ve had to make adjustments to comply with social distancing throughout the training, including officers logging on for learning at home and doing small group sessions throughout.

“The officers requested to have the passing-out parade themselves as they were keen to mark the occasion and because some of the group began operational duties this weekend, they wanted to have the experience.

“It’s great to have more officers on the front line especially during these uncertain times.”

The new officers will be deployed across the county.

The cohort has a mix of experiences – including former PCSOs, special constables, military – even a barber!

Brendan Farrell, 22, a former graphic design students, starts his shift as a police constable on Monday morning working in Eastwood and Beeston.

He said: “I’m just excited to get going really.

“We’ve had a great few months training together and it was a good way to end it on Thursday.

“We’ve all bonded really well in the group and training was really enjoyable, engaging and taught us a lot.

“I’m hopeful of having a long successful career with the force, with plenty of opportunities.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do – to help the people that need help the most.”

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