Seventeen new police officers, including an ex-postie, a restaurant manager and a former building contractor, were formally welcomed to #TeamHerts recently.

Senior officers, family and friends of the 10 men and seven women gathered to celebrate their achievement at a passing out parade at police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City on Wednesday 26 February.

Deputy Chief Constable Catherine Akehurst presented the officers with framed certificates to mark the end of their initial training and officially welcome them to the Hertfordshire Constabulary.

"It is always a great delight to welcome new police constables to our Hertfordshire police family," she said. "Policing offers a career of opportunity and every day our work in the communities we serve makes a real difference to people."

The student officers now start their first postings with five officers based in St Albans; four officers in Dacorum; three in East Herts; three in Welwyn Hatfield and two in Watford.

Their initial training included a mixture of classroom based and practical sessions, covering a vast range of topics including law and police powers, personal safety and dealing with volatile situations, first aid and safeguarding vulnerable victims.

On-the-job training continues until officers are declared fit for independent patrol and graduate.

Hertfordshire Constabulary are now inviting applications for police officers via the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP), the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and the PCEP-Detective route, visit their website to find out how to apply and register your interest: www.herts.police.uk/careers

Through our 'Positive Action' scheme, Hertfordshire Constabulary is committed to building relationships with under-represented groups and encouraging them to join our policing family.