Lancashire Constabulary Exceeds Government Recruitment Targets


More than 600 additional police officers joined Lancashire Constabulary within the last 4 years, exceeding their target to recruit 509 additional officers set by the government. 

Lancashire Constabulary are proudly celebrating after recruiting an additional 612 police officers, many of whom have completed their training and others on their way towards becoming fully-fledged officers, serving alongside their committed colleagues. 

Since September 2019, over 11,000 applications were submitted to join as a Police Officer on one of the 5 different entry routes into policing that Lancashire Constabulary offer. 

Chief Constable Chris Rowley, pictured at a recent kit inspection said: “I am pleased we have exceeded our recruitment target and welcome these new officers as they join the Lancashire Police family. I have been able to speak with almost all of these new recruits and am filled with confidence that they will serve the communities of Lancashire to the very highest of standards. 

“These new recruits take our police officer headcount to 3,587, who serve the 1.5 million people living in the diverse communities of Lancashire. We are particularly proud that we are the only force to have recruited more female officers and have also increased representation from black and minority ethnicities. It has taken an incredible amount of work to get to this strong position and I know we will reap the benefits in our communities moving forwards” 

“I wanted to take this opportunity to once again thank all of those different departments who have worked tirelessly and gone above and beyond their daily business to exceed this exceptional target. I would also like to thank all our officers who have chosen to serve in Lancashire. I am delighted to hear about the positive impact they are already making.” 

Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said: 

“I’m delighted that we have exceeded our Police Uplift recruitment target in Lancashire, with 612 additional officers now either recruited, in training or already out taking the fight to criminals. I also want to thank the Constabulary for all their work in getting us to this point, with teams from HR to vetting to the training school and numerous others.  

“It represents an exciting time for policing in Lancashire as more and more officers gain the knowledge and experience to make a real difference in the fight against crime across the county, with visible, community focused policing making people and the communities they live and work in safer. 

“I continue to meet more new recruits when out with officers on the beat and seeing the difference they are already starting to make, with the bolstering of neighbourhood teams and more proactive policing capability already being put into our communities, there really will be no place to hide for criminals who operate here in Lancashire.   

“It’s through these new recruits and my close work with the Chief Constable that we will see the best possible use of additional resources coming into Lancashire, tackling anti-social behaviour, disrupting criminal gangs and delivering on the other key priorities in my Fighting Crime Plan.” 

Recruitment will continue through 2023/24 with a variety of entry routes available to join Lancashire Constabulary. 

Find out more here

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Lancashire Police Cadets take first prize at national awards

Welcome to Lancashire Constabulary News and Event Page

Police Cadets from Lancashire’s Pendle unit are celebrating their success after winning the National Crimebeat Awards, at a ceremony in London on 21st March 2023.

National Crimebeat is the youth crime prevention charity of the High Sheriffs’ Association and is governed by trustees who are mainly former High Sheriffs. It aims to give recognition to the most innovative and successful crime prevention projects carried out by young people between five and 25 years.

Pendle Cadets presented their winning project on the day – “By Young People 4 Young People” – an initiative based on safety inputs in schools around East Lancashire.

The Cadets noticed that some of the educational materials used by local officers were outdated and needed modernising. They made their own lesson plans and delivered them to local primary and high schools.

Each lesson included a question-and-answer session where the pupils could ask honest questions and make it as interactive as possible. Subjects created and delivered include peer pressure, internet safety and staying safe while using social media.

The project was a big success with the Cadets’ lessons being used by the local policing teams and youth offending teams. All the recipient schools have asked for them to reattend to deliver their lessons to new pupils, and other schools have invited them in.

Pendle Cadets won a trophy on the day, along with funds to develop their initiative wider across Lancashire.

The Cadets were accompanied by Cadet Manager Chief Inspector Chris Abbott and Force Cadet Supervisor Jenni Watkins. Lancashire’s High Sheriff, Mr Ainscough, and the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police were also in attendance.

Lancashire Police’s Chief Constable Chris Rowley attended the event and presented a highly commended award.

Chief Inspector Chris Abbott, Cadet Manager, said: “I am proud of what our police cadets have achieved. This is a fantastic award and I am pleased they have been recognised on a national level.

“They have made a difference to their communities with their innovative project, creating a safe and open environment for young people. Tackling subjects like online safety is really important to this age group.

“A huge thankyou to the outgoing High Sheriff of Lancashire and everyone involved in the National Crimebeat Association.”

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Lancashire Police bolstered by 140 new officers


We continue to strengthen our ranks with 140 more officers sworn into the force this month. 

Four ceremonies were held at the force HQ to formally attest and welcome the new recruits. 

The newest members of the Lancashire Police family are now training to become fully operational for their roles on immediate response and investigations.  

Proud family and friends looked on at the attestation ceremonies which were hosted at police HQ by Deputy Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett and Chief Constable Chris Rowley. 

Chief Constable Chris Rowley said: “We are extremely pleased to continue to strengthen the force with this cohort of students of the highest calibre, who are passionate about serving the communities of Lancashire and keeping the public safe. Our rigorous training will equip them to become diligent and dedicated officers who will uphold the exacting standards and values of the force.  These officers will ensure that delivering a first-class victim service is at the heart of everything they do; they will uphold the King’s peace, protect the people of Lancashire and bring offenders to justice.   

We are proud and delighted to welcome them to the Lancashire Police family.” 

Find out more about becoming an officer with Lancashire Constabulary here. 

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Burnley Special Inspector recognised at national volunteering awards ceremony


A Special Inspector from Burnley who has dedicated hours of her time to supporting policing has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

Charlotte Buffey, who has clocked up 245 hours of volunteering already this year, has worked her way up the ranks and took on the role as a Special Inspector at the age of 22, making her the youngest in Lancashire Constabulary.

Yesterday, she attended a ceremony at Lancaster House in London after being shortlisted for the Leadership Award at this year’s Lord Ferrers Awards, which recognise those who provide outstanding contributions to volunteering in policing. Charlotte was presented with the runners up award.

Chief Inspector Scott Boast attended the ceremony with Charlotte. He said: “With over 170 nominations from forces across the country, this is a fantastic achievement for Charlotte, and we are incredibly proud of her. She was nominated by her peers which demonstrates just how highly thought of she is by all of those who work alongside her. It is fantastic to recognise the dedication to policing that Charlotte, and all of our volunteers, show.”

The Lord Ferrers Awards are run by the Home Office. There are eleven award categories in total and the Leadership Award is presented to those who have demonstrated a significant and sustained contribution to leadership.

Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, Chris Rowley, said: “Here in Lancashire Constabulary we are very well supported by our Special Constabulary volunteers. These exceptional and committed individuals choose to spend their spare time volunteering, providing vital support to the communities of Lancashire and keeping victims safe. 

I am really pleased that the skills and commitment of Special Inspector Charlotte Buffey have been recognised. Charlotte’s contribution, and indeed the contribution of the whole of the Special Constabulary is highly valued.

Well done, Charlotte, and thank you to all of our volunteers who support policing in Lancashire”

Find out more about become a Special Constable here.

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First recruits join on the newest route into policing


Lancashire Constabulary continues to strengthen its ranks with 21 new officers who are making history for the force as the first cohort to join from the BSc Professional Policing Degree entry route.

This week, a ceremony was held at the force HQ to formally attest and welcome the new recruits who have graduated from University of Central Lancashire, Edge Hill University and University of Cumbria collectively.

The newest members of the Lancashire Police family are now training to become fully operational for their roles on immediate response and investigations.

Proud family, friends and course tutors looked on at the attestation ceremony which were hosted at police HQ by Deputy Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett and Chief Constable Chris Rowley and other senior leaders in the organisation.

New police officer and Edge Hill University graduate, PC Hannah Speakman said “It feels very surreal to think that 3 years ago I was a new university student starting my journey as one of the first students to begin the BSc Professional Policing Degree to now beginning my policing career in Lancashire. The ceremony was one of my proudest moments which I got to share with my family.”

UCLan graduate PC Damian Stott said “This moment makes the end of studying as a student and three years of working extremely hard and the beginning of my policing career. The attestation ceremony is a proud moment for me and my family and I am looking forward to serving the people of Lancashire.”

Chief Constable Chris Rowley said: “We are extremely pleased to further strengthen the force with this cohort of the highest calibre students who are passionate about keeping the public safe. Our rigorous training will equip them to becomediligent and dedicated officers who uphold our exacting standards and values, with victim impact at the heart of everything they do; working to keep the peace, protect the county’s people and bring offenders to justice.

We are proud and delighted to welcome them to the Lancashire Police family.”

Find out more about our entry routes here.

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Could you get justice for victims of crime like PC Marc?


We wanted to share with you a real glimpse into some of the incidents our officers respond to on a day to day basis.

Once such officer is PC Marc, who along with Police Dog Viper, were the first on scene locate an offender who had stolen a vehicle.

We had a chat with Marc and asked him to tell us a bit more about the shift, and how he put his training, skills and experience into action. Hear what Marc has to say in the next video…

We are immensely proud of Marc, Viper and all the other colleagues who helped to bring the offender to justice and return the vehicle back to its rightful owner.

If you are interested in becoming a Police Officer with Lancashire Constabulary, you can find our about you can also find out about our Police Officer recruitment entry routes here.

Watch some of our other vlogs…

Follow PC Umar on a shift in Accrington

Q&A session with PC Stef Burrows

Thinking about becoming a Police Officer?

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Could you save a life like PC Jack?


We wanted to share with you a real glimpse into some of the incidents our officers respond to on a day to day basis.

Once such officer is PC Jack, who along with his colleague PC Marc, were the first on scene to a drowning accident of a child.

We caught up with Jack and asked him to tell us a bit more about the shift, and how he put his training, skills and experience into action. Jack explains this in the next video.

We are immensely proud of Jack and his colleagues for everything they did at this incident.

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Pictured is Freddie, happy and well after the accident shared kindly by his family, who also sent the following message of thanks…

“Words don’t seem enough when thanking you for saving Freddie’s life. But we want you to know how grateful we are for what you did that day.

We know Freddie might not be here with us today if you hadn’t got to him as quickly as you did.

Thank you so much!”

If you are interested in becoming a Police Officer with Lancashire Constabulary, you can find our about you can also find out about our Police Officer recruitment entry routes here.

Watch some of our other vlogs…

Follow PC Umar on a shift in Accrington

Q&A session with PC Stef Burrows

Thinking about becoming a Police Officer?

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Q&A session with Police Officer Steph


We went out on car patrol with PC Steph and asked her lots of  questions about her experience of joining as a Police Officer on the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship programme. 

Find out what she has to say about the role including the challenging elements and the best part about the role and what she is looking forward to the most in the future.

Could this be the perfect career opportunity for you?

If you are interested in becoming a Police Officer there are two entry routes to choose from dependent upon your prior education attainment.

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship recruitment is open!

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Police Cadets Q&A session


Ahead of Police Cadet recruitment we recently asked our followers on Instagram to submit their questions to our Police Cadets about being a Police Cadet.

We put those questions to some of our Cadets and filmed their responses.

Watch on to see what they have to say!

Find out more about becoming a Police Cadet.

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