The Police Uplift Programme began in 2019, with the UK Government aiming to recruit an additional 20,000 officers across forces in England and Wales.

Over the last three years we have recruited 870 new officers – 92% more than the targeted increase of 452.

As a force we are committed to attracting, employing, and supporting a workforce which is representative of the communities we serve and we continue to encourage individuals from under-represented groups and communities to consider joining us.

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said: 

"I am absolutely delighted that as a force we have exceeded our Uplift target which has allowed us to bolster numbers of officers both on the frontline and in specialist roles who all work to keep the communities of South Wales safe.

"This has created opportunities for people to join South Wales Police and make a real difference in our communities.

"Police officers show pride and courage on a daily basis to keep people safe from harm and pursuing those who are intent on causing others harm.

"We have also worked really hard to ensure that our new recruits are also representative of the communities we serve and this has been done through reaching out to encourage people to apply and helping them through the process.

"Recruiting 870 number of new officers into Team SWP has been a real challenge, especially at a time when we were under severe restrictions caused by a global health pandemic, but one which has attracted a wide range of skills and experiences and this will only serve to improve our service to the public as well as bolstering our numbers in vital specialist roles such as in our Exploitation Team and Missing Person Teams."

Alun Michael, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, added: 

"While the Uplift programme has provided a welcome addition to police officer numbers, the increase has only restored numbers in South Wales to what they were just over a decade ago.

"In addition to this, we have also had to meet the costs of kit, uniform, fleet and training with the burden of funding of all these costly but necessary expenses being placed on local taxpayers. It’s allowed us to invest in more specialist resources to tackle organised crime and protect Neighbourhood Policing, which is a priority for me and for the Chief Constable.

"I am pleased that we have exceeded our recruitment targets and I appreciate the huge amount of effort that has gone into recruitment and training to protect the communities of South Wales.

"It has allowed us to bring in new officers from different backgrounds and cultures, which will bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the force."

We look forward to watching our new recruits develop their careers with us and we will continue to recruit the very best talents into South Wales Police, helping to keep South Wales Safe.