Essex Police has launched a new campaign, aimed at increasing the diversity of the force’s officers.

Earlier this year, bosses at Essex Police said the force 'would not rest' until BAME communities were represented in its ranks after Home Office data found there were just five black officers at the end of March.

The force’s top officer, chief constable Ben-Julian Harrington, spoke of his personal pride and commitment to ensuring Essex Police reflects the diverse communities it serves.

Essex Police’s newest recruitment video, We Value Difference, gained more than 300,000 views in its first 24 hours, with almost 1,000,000 people reached online

CC Harrington said: “It’s been amazing to see the reaction – not just from across Essex, but across the UK and beyond.

“Our aim is to make our police force as diverse as the county we serve, and we are committed to doing that. We genuinely value differences between different people and communities at Essex Police – whether that’s your age, your ethnicity or your life experience. As long as you share our commitment to protect and serve the people of Essex, we want to hear from you.

“Sir Robert Peel, the founder of modern policing, said: “the public are the police and the police are the public” – it’s as simple as that.

“I know we can do better. And we will. I want to make sure that our officers are the best that they can be so that they can continue to detect crime in our county and keep you safe.”

PC Anokhi Chouhan, who serves in Loughton, has already used her connections to make a difference. Having joined last summer, she noticed that “[my team] had little to no contact with members of our religious communities. [I] worked with a local Reverend to identify and contact religious leaders from all faiths in our districts and come up with ways we could better engage with those communities.”

PC Gabriel Culcea moved from Romania to the UK. He spoke of his pride at joining the force: “I have had the full support of every single colleague I’ve met. Nothing can replace the feeling you get when you leave the scene knowing that your actions made a significant change to someone’s life."

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