pilot initiative which sees talented graduates recruited into Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has now expanded to the North West, as a cohort of new Greater Manchester Police trainee detectives were attested at Police Now’s national academy today (17th March).
The eight new officers will help bolster the UK’s protection against serious harm and terrorist threat, as they are supported to become highly trained, qualified detectives on Police Now’s two-year National Detective Programme.
The latest data released by the Home Office shows that more people have been arrested for terrorism related offences in 2024 than in the four years previously. Officers on this specialist stream of the programme will move into CTP North West teams towards the end of their second year of training, where they will work to prevent, deter, and investigate terrorist activity alongside their experienced colleagues.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sarah Kenwright, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “The attestation of our new trainee detectives is an exciting step on their journey to becoming fully qualified detectives in Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW).
“Being attested is a significant milestone in a police officer’s career and it is a huge honour so I hope our new colleagues will feel a strong sense of pride today. Additionally, it brings with it an expectation that you will live up to the high standards rightly expected by the public.
“This is the first time we have taken direct entry detectives in CTPNW so we’re looking forward to welcoming this intake as we seek to bolster our efforts to protect national security. It’s also very positive to see such a high proportion of females in this intake as we continue to strive to make our service one which is more representative of the communities we serve and, therefore, more operationally effective as we bring together a broader range of lived experiences.
“The benchmark for securing a place on the Police Now programme was extremely high and we’re confident that the successful candidates will bring a strong mix of experience, skills, knowledge and ideas which will be hugely beneficial for us and, ultimately, the public.”
Police Now, a Times Top 100 Graduate Employer, drives innovation across national police training and recruitment and delivers essential difference to the service. The organisation pioneered direct-entry detective training across England and Wales in 2019 with its National Detective Programme, which has since grown to include important specialisms.
The CTP stream piloted last year in the Met’s SO15 – with one Met trainer crediting the pilot for his ‘renewed sense of enthusiasm and optimism for policing’ – and has expanded to include the North West and West Midlands CTP regions this year, thanks to the pilot’s success.
Police Now particularly focuses on recruiting and training those who had not considered a career in policing before and consistently brings more women into the service than policing achieves nationally. 75% of these new CTP North West recruits identify as women – higher than the policing national average of 35.4%.
Police Now’s Chief Executive Officer Kurtis Christoforides, who addressed the officers at their attestation ceremony today, said: “This programme is for the dedicated, the resilient and the hard-working graduates who want to make a difference in society and be at the forefront of change and innovation in policing.
“Our brilliant new recruits attested here today will help us deliver new initiatives on our National Detective Programme and will all play a part in building public trust and confidence in policing, supporting victims of crime, and protecting the public from harm. I have huge faith in their passion for public service and wish them luck on their journey ahead, as Police Now and our partner forces support them to meet the highest possible standards and become exceptional investigators on the frontline.”
