PRIME Minister Boris Johnson’s nationwide push to recruit 20,000 new police officers has officially launched, but senior North Yorkshire Police say it “could be years” before the front-line impacts are seen in the region.

North Yorkshire stands to receive 200 extra police as part of the the national campaign to boost law enforcement numbers, announced by the Prime Minister in July.

But senior North Yorkshire Police figures have moved to temper expectations of when those extra officers would be “on the street”.

Inspectors Steve Breen and Penny Taylor told councillors that although the recruitment influx was “good news”, recruitment and training periods meant it would likely be several years before the extra police are on the front-line.

“It takes time with recruitment, people have to get trained,” Insp Taylor told members of the overview and scrutiny committee.

“I don’t think we’ll see that uptake for a year (or) 18 months.”

Insp Breen echoed his colleague’s comments, saying the process “could take years”.

“It will take some time for it to happen…it’s not a quick and sudden thing,” he said. 

Both reiterated the move was “good news” for police and residents in North Yorkshire.

The Prime Minister has previously stated that he wanted the recruitment blitz to be completed within three years.

The launch of the recruitment campaign saw North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan urge people to sign up and “be a force for all”.

“This a huge moment for policing across the country, including here in North Yorkshire, and it will mean more visible policing for our communities in the years ahead – something which I know is one of the priorities of residents and businesses here,” Mrs Mulligan said.

“We are already investing in more police officers to ensure everyone is as safe as possible and feels as safe as possible and it’s hard to underestimate the impact an additional 200 officers will have. The Prime Minister is right to prioritise this, and I welcome his commitment.

“To get our fair share of officers, we need people to come forward to apply to join North Yorkshire Police. Being a police officer is a demanding role but a vital one for our community and I hope anyone interested takes this opportunity to find out more and apply.”

More details can be found on joiningthepolice.co.uk.