BURY South MP Christian Wakeford has welcomed the announcement that Greater Manchester Police has benefitted from an intake of 193 police officers since the Government launched its major police recruitment drive last year.

New statistics show that nearly 6,000 extra officers have been recruited in the first year of the Government’s major police recruitment drive, with 193 more in Greater Manchester alone.

The addition of these new officers brings the total number of police across Greater Manchester up to 7,018.

Since the launch of the Government’s recruitment campaign one year ago, a total of 5,824 extra officers have joined police forces across England and Wales.

The new statistics also show that the police workforce is now more diverse than ever before, with 10.7 per cent of new recruits identifying as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and with 9,842 of all officers now being from these groups.

The Government is also enshrining a new police covenant into law, which will offer enhanced support and protection for frontline officers and is bringing forward legislation to double the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaults on frontline staff including police officers, firefighters and paramedics.

Other steps to support our frontline officers include a £1.1 billion funding boost for police forces this year – the biggest increase in a decade, funding to provide over 8,000 more officers with Taser devices, and personalised new stop and search powers so that officers can effectively target repeat offenders.

Mr Wakeford said:“Getting more police officers onto our streets is one of the key priorities I fought the General Election on, and so I am delighted that in just over one year, this Conservative Government has already delivered an extra 193 officers across Greater Manchester.

“Every one of these officers will make an enormous difference in helping to cut crime and keep people safe – and I know that many more will follow as this Government continues to deliver on its promise to recruit 20,000 more over the next three years.

“By backing our police with the funding, powers and resources they need, we are keeping the public and our communities safe, so that people everywhere can live their lives free from the fear of crime.”