A total of 179 new officers were welcomed to Police Scotland today, with almost half of the new recruits female.
12 per cent were from ethnic minority backgrounds, and Chief Constable Iain Livingstone says the intake "reflects the progress" made in the bid to increase diversity across the service.
Graduates in disciplines such as law, criminology, psychology and robotics were among the new recruits, along with six Special Constables, a fraud advisor, a footballer and a civil engineer.
The new recruits took their Oath of Office at the police headquarters at Tulliallan Castle in Fife, and the Chief Constable said: "The Oath of Office marks the point at which our newest recruits are sworn into Police Scotland as Constables, embarking on their careers in public service.
“Although we have much still to do, this particular intake of new Constables reflects the progress Police Scotland has made in our drive to increase recruitment from under-represented groups.
“Policing in Scotland takes its authority and legitimacy from the people of Scotland and I remain committed to doing everything I can to ensure the service represents and reflects the communities we serve.”
Police Scotland say that those currently in the recruitment programme will be contacted by a Recruitment Officer to advise of next steps. The website adds: "Due to the recruitment programme being reduced to take account of government guidelines on COVID, it is inevitable candidates will experience greater delays whilst progressing through the various stages. We ask you to remain patient."
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