LONDON, UK — The government’s successful drive to protect the public by recruiting 20,000 additional police officers enters a new phase this week with the launch of a new advertising campaign.
More than 11,000 people have already joined the police as part of the recruitment drive, helping to cut crime by 14% (excluding fraud and computer misuse), remove 16,000 knives and dangerous weapons from the streets and tackle the scourge of drugs with the closure of over 1,500 county lines.
Two new adverts – featuring two serving police officers from different backgrounds already protecting their communities – will air on TV and in cinemas and, for the first time, on YouTube and Reddit to target a younger and more engaged audience.
The campaign was created by FCB Inferno for the Home Office, and the production company Stink. The films were directed by Tom Green, best known for Channel 4’s BAFTA award-winning MISFITS as well as projects for Oxfam and Save the Children.
Chief Inspector Matthew Burbeck from Kent Police was part of the team that caught a gang importing millions of pounds of drugs, while Police Constable Lola Giwa from Greater Manchester Police has helped to protect vulnerable people and make sure violent criminals are put behind bars.
With the government on track to meet its target of recruiting 20,000 more officers by 2023, the ads in which they feature form part of a wider advertising campaign across radio, social media, online, podcasts, and digital display banners.
The 11,053 additional officers to date have enabled police forces to set up new units tackling crime and protecting vulnerable people – including supporting those who have suffered rape and sexual assault. They have also helped create the most diverse police force in history, which is more able to effectively serve communities across England and Wales.
PC Giwa was inspired to join the force after being impressed with the way the police helped her son who was being bullied at school. She said, “We were treated with respect and compassion, and the officer was persistent and effective, and I thought, ‘yes, I can do the same thing’ and give back to my community and protect the most vulnerable people in society. We need representation from every background in the police that will help bridge the gap between police and those communities and I encourage people to join. It is actually the best job you can ever think of, and I’m not sugar-coating it.”
Chief Inspector Burbeck was inspired to join the force after working in military intelligence and helped secure the prosecution of a drugs gang importing millions of pounds worth of drugs. He said, “Every single day police officers change someone’s life and there are not many jobs where you can say that. You never know what is around the corner – in the same day you can go from working on a domestic violence case, to attending a violent incident, to working on a drugs bust. You are dealing with people who are often having the worst day in their lives, so you develop people skills, as well as technical investigation skills.”
The new recruits will help support the delivery of the Beating Crime Plan, which sets out the government’s mission to deliver fewer victims, safer neighbourhoods, and a more secure country – with a particular focus on driving down homicide, serious violence, and neighbourhood crime.
The additional officers will bolster the work already being done across the country, which has seen:
- a 14% fall in overall crime (excluding fraud and computer misuse) between June 2019 and June 2021
- 11,053 additional officers hired across England and Wales – 55% of the target of 20,000 extra police officers by March 2023
- over 1,500 county lines closed, over 7,400 arrests, £4.3m in drugs seized and more than 4,000 vulnerable people safeguarded, thanks to our investment in shutting down county lines since 2019
- almost 16,000 knives and other dangerous weapons removed from the streets last year thanks to police use of stop and search powers
- 300,000 at risk young people reached through Violence Reduction Units, which have been set up across the country thanks to £105.5m in funding. This forms part of the £242m we’ve invested since 2019 to zone in on serious violence and homicide hotspots.
Sharon Jiggins, CMO, FCB Inferno said, “Our campaign seeks to tell the stories of real police officers. We have focussed in on showing the diversity of roles within the police force, teamwork, and the meaningful difference an officer can make.”
Anyone interested in applying to their local force can search Join the Police to find out more.
