Police force recruits more women to ranks

Home Office data shows that female recruits made up 45% of the 739 police officers hired by Northumbria Police between April 2020 and March this year – higher than the England and Wales average of 42%.

The ratio of female to male police officers in the force has risen from 31% in 2019 to 36% this year.

The new officers were taken on after the Government promised to recruit 20,000 new police officers by March 2023 – and improve gender and ethnic diversity in the service.

A total of 13,576 extra officers have joined police ranks nationally since November 2019 - including 423 in Northumbria.

Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society – which campaigns for gender equality – said “These statistics represent some welcome progress but to get to equality we need more women entering in the police service – and that means recognising there is a real problem with sexism and taking meaningful action to stamp it out."

Rick Muir, director of the Police Foundation, a policing think tank, said: "The number of female police officers has gradually been increasing over the past two decades, but there's still a long way to go."

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “The police officer workforce is more diverse than it has ever been. However, we are aware that there is more work to be done, which is why the Government continues to work closely with police forces to ensure workforces are representative.”