Herts officers in Home Office recruitment video

19 January 2022

Hertfordshire Police Federation members have taken leading roles in a nationwide police recruitment drive.

A dozen officers took centre stage in a Home Office-arranged video which forms part of the national ‘Be the difference’ advertising campaign as forces across the country look to expand their uniformed workforce.

The Hertfordshire officers turned out for the shoot at the old Shredded Wheat factory in Welwyn Garden City on their day off.

Inspector Gemma Badat, from the Force’s Workforce Development Unit, was one of the officers involved.

She said: “It was fantastic to be involved in the making of the national Police Uplift recruitment video and I’m very passionate about recruiting the right people as future police officers.

“As a woman from a mixed heritage background, it really matters to me that policing is more diverse and representative of the communities we serve and protect.

“Of course, it’s not just about race and everyone at Hertfordshire Constabulary takes personal responsibility to help create an inclusive workplace, where police officers and staff respect one another, feel valued for their differences and can be themselves.

“We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments, wherever needed so everyone feels welcome and can flourish.

“Candidates with one or more protected characteristics can get support from our Positive Action team, which includes mentoring from a serving police officer and advice sessions on the application process.”

The Force had 2,271 police officers as of 31 December 2021, of which 795 (35 per cent) are female and 127 (5.6 per cent) come from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background.

The Force is looking to recruit more 300 new police officers in the coming year.

Gemma said: “Policing is a challenging role and facing challenging times, receiving a lot of negative press, and at times it seems you can’t do right for doing wrong, however, it offers a unique opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Diversity within the organisation is more important now than ever. It’s about valuing difference, be it race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, faith, and age.

“Society is changing and people need to be able to relate to the police as an individual and not just as an organisation to ensure that they feel listened to and understood and for us to work together.”

Geoff Bardell, chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation, has welcomed the officers’ involvement in the video.

“All too often advertising campaigns feature actors so I am pleased that the Home Office has turned to real-life police officers for this campaign,” he said.

“I also want to thank those officers who got involved and did their bit to help the Force attract a wide range of new recruits.”