GWENT Police has teamed up with an organisation recruiting new officers from diverse backgrounds.

Police Now’s mission is to transform communities by recruiting, developing and inspiring diverse leaders in policing.

Officers on Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme work alongside their colleagues within their local neighbourhood teams to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Communities nationwide where Police Now officers have been posted for the last 22 months have seen 38,772 fewer incidents of anti-social behaviour compared to the same time period from October 2016 – equivalent to a 14 per cent drop. Meanwhile, incidents of burglary fell by 16 per cent, while theft fell by 14 per cent, and criminal damage and arson fell by 13 per cent.

Max Lloyd recently applied to join Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme through Gwent Police and will be starting his training in August, with a goal of making a visible impact in his local community.

Leaping into policing and leaving his job within a credit card company’s call centre, he believes that visible local policing demonstrates a commitment to the community that it serves and allows for stronger collaborative approaches to tackle the challenges that communities face.

Mr Lloyd said: "I want to have a positive impact on people’s lives in a way that is meaningful and where I can see the developing positive changes first-hand.

"To be able to actually see, day-to-day, how my actions will have a positive impact towards a person and the local community, is an achievement that simply would not be possible in my previous career."

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Police Now runs two programmes, the National Graduate Leadership Programme and the National Detective Programme, and has recruited a total of 1,830 officers across 33 forces in the UK - including in Gwent.

Last year nine detective constables joined the force through the National Detective Programme, and this summer 10 new constables will join through the National Graduate Leadership Programme.

Police Now consistently recruits more officers who are women or from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds compared to any other entry route into policing. Police Now recruitment data shows that of those who have been offered a place on Police Now's National Graduate Leadership Programme in Gwent in 2021, one in five (20 per cent) identify as coming from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background and half (50 per cent) identify as women.

Co-founder of Police Now and former Detective Chief Inspector David Spencer, said: "We’re incredibly proud of the positive impact our participants continue to have within their local communities, and their commitment to driving positive change with their colleagues so that everyone in our society, including the most vulnerable, have a chance to thrive."