Together with Deputy Mayor Sophie Linden, they watched 327 recruits parade in front of relatives and friends. In addition, 52 detective constables passed out today, making 379 in total – all of whom have now been with the organisation around 18 months.
It is an event that they have been looking forward to being able to participate in for a long time, as their original passing out date had to be rescheduled due to the risk of Covid.
Those gathered at Hendon were serenaded by the British Imperial Military Band and awards were handed out at a ceremony after the parade to exceptional individuals – witnessed by two personal guests chosen by each recruit.
The event was also watched by a very special guest, 94-year-old former Met officer Alan Fleming, who was delighted to be able to see his relative Emily Ashford, based in Lambeth, parade past him. Alan joined in June 1948, retiring on exactly this day in 1987, and was awarded a British Empire Medal for his services to athletics.
Met Police Commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, said: “I’m so pleased that these recruits have finally been able to take part in their passing out day, in person, in front of their loved ones, and am delighted that Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, was able to join me in celebrating their achievements.
“I know that these officers are all already out on their different teams across the capital, serving Londoners. They will be learning from colleagues and peers, and showing the courage, professionalism and compassion that our communities expect from all our officers, and that is displayed across our city on a daily basis. I wish them all the very best of luck for their ongoing careers.
“We know there are others out there that also want to make a difference and help people by becoming a police officer. I have spoken in the past about the bold steps we are taking in our bid to build a workforce that truly reflects all of London’s diverse communities. Today, I would again like to encourage anyone who would relish serving London’s communities and building an exciting, rewarding and challenging career, particularly those who are female and from under-represented groups, to apply. Your unique skills and experiences are what we need.”
Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, said: “It’s great to be here today to celebrate with hundreds of new recruits and their proud families, and I want to congratulate them on their achievements and thank them for serving our city.
“These new officers are already out working to reduce crime and helping to keep London’s communities safe. From City Hall, the Mayor has provided record funding to ensure there are now 1,300 more police officers on the streets to suppress violence in local areas, patrolling open spaces and parks, as well as working to keep our town centres safe both day and night.
“It is vital that we continue to ensure the Met have the resources they need to keep our city safe, and to support their continued recruitment efforts, and ambitious aims to ensure the police service is representative of the city it serves.”
Gina Bannerman, 29, one of the PCs passing out, joined the Met from a motivation of wanting to directly help the most vulnerable in society – and feels being a police officer is a great job she would whole-heartedly recommend to others.
Currently based in Wandsworth as a safer transport officer, she said: “We have some history in the family as my great-grandfather was a police chief in Ghana, and I have always genuinely wanted to make a difference.
“I’ve been in more than two years now and I’ve loved it. It can be hard and challenging, but on the good days it’s so rewarding when you feel you’ve had a positive impact on that one person or one family.
“Being a black woman in the force has made me want to help change what I think are the misperceptions that have caused the lack of trust with some communities. I believe strongly that if you want to see change, you need to be that change.”
The Met aspires to be a police force that is truly representational of the communities it serves, and the Commissioner has previously announced her ambition that from April 2022, 50 per cent of new police recruits are women, and 40 per cent from under-represented groups.
There has already been good progress made towards this first goal. The majority of new recruits acquired through the direct entry detective scheme are female – 52 per cent last year and 61.2 per cent this year – and 42.4 per cent of all new police constables and detectives this year so far are female.
At the end of September 2021, women accounted for 35 per cent of the Met’s total workforce of police officers, specials, PCSOs and staff, and 29 per cent of Met police officers.
With every woman that joins us, the Met grows stronger, better and more representational of the communities it serves. As many people have personal commitments to juggle with work, the organisation is proud to offer part-time and flexible working in some roles.
In terms of the second goal, the Met employs half of all the Black, Asian and multiple ethnic heritage police officers in England and Wales, over 5,000 officers, of whom around 1,000 officers are Black.
Over the last two years, the Met has recruited over 1,000 officers from under-represented groups, with 450 in the last financial year alone. A fifth (20.2 per cent) of our new trainee PCs and DCs in the financial year 2020/21 were from under-represented groups.
The Met is constantly striving across multiple fronts to take steps that will help achieve the recruitment aspirations that have been voiced by the Commissioner.
One example is the Outreach Recruitment Programme that covers all boroughs in the capital, reaching out to under-represented communities to forge relationships and offer information and support in order to encourage more Londoners to consider joining the Met.
A key uplift to the existing cadre has seen 40 extra workers start last month [September], joining the 12 already put into place a year ago, one in each of the Met’s borough command areas.
Managed by a central team, the new employees, two thirds of whom are from under-represented groups themselves, will enhance the Met’s ability to directly engage with those communities it would like to recruit from, but has historically struggled to attract.
Earlier this year, in the summer, a new recruitment advertising campaign, ‘Now more than Ever’ was also launched. At the heart of this ongoing campaign are the stories of real life role model ambassadors from under-represented groups who are already thriving in the Met, as well as an honest recognition of the potential obstacles prospective candidates can encounter.
