350,000 inquiries for 60 posts at North Yorkshire Police

Wow, demand for Police is very high in England!

HIGH unemployment because of the recession is being cited as the main reason for a staggering 350,000 inquiries for 60 posts at a police force.

North Yorkshire Police have attracted a record breaking number of calls in only four-and-a-half days this week after placing job advertisements in The Northern Echo and on its own website.

The force’s 14-strong recruitment team handled calls from potential bobbies hailing from as far afield as Essex, London, Hertfordshire and Exeter.

The demand was so great that senior officers, including Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell, Deputy Chief Constable Adam Briggs and Assistant Chief Constable Sue Cross, decided to chip in and take some calls.

Mr Briggs said: “The recruitment hotline is an emphatic demonstration of public confidence in North Yorkshire Police.”

There were so many calls to the switchboard that a new phone number was issued.

Former police officer Mike Pannett, of Crayke, near Easingwold, near York, said: “It’s absolutely incredible.

“The job offers security.

When was the last time you heard of a police officer being made redundant, and it’s very exciting.”

Rowland Atkinson, a lecturer in disorder and antisocial behaviour at the University of York, said: “Employers such as the police and local government are extremely attractive – especially during a downturn.

“I guess we would see similar results in other police forces across the board right now.”

David Curry, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, said: “A factor is the recession and the current high unemployment.

“There are about three million people unemployed and I think people are chasing fewer jobs and they do think about the public sector as perhaps safer than the private sector.”

The North Yorkshire force’s recruitment period ended yesterday at 8pm.

Anne McIntosh, the Conservative Vale of York MP, added: “I’m sure that people view it as a very secure job but you also have to be community minded.

“It’s good news for North Yorkshire Police. The force has always been one of the best forces to work for and the area nice place to live.”

The high demand to join the force follows Northumbria Police’s news that 16,000 people applied to take up 110 posts in its ranks for 2010-11 last month.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/5006351.Police_chief_steps_in_as_job_hotline_swamped/