April 09, 2025 | Human Resources , Officer and Staff: Recruitment and Promotion
Request Number: FOI/14059
Category: Human Resources - Recruitment
Subject: 2025-2026 Student Officer Intakes
Request and Answer:
Your request for information has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Act we can confirm that the Police Service of Northern Ireland does hold information to which your request relates. The decision has been taken to disclose the following.
Request Details
My query is regarding intakes of student police officers into the police college in the financial year 2025-26. I know that budget for the next year has not been confirmed however it is likely to be as advertised by Stormont in December.
Specifically, I would like to request the following information:
Request 1
How many candidates remain on the 2021 recruitment campaign waiting list? (excluding those who have been offered a position on an upcoming course)
Answer 1
239 candidates remain on the 2021 Student Officer Recruitment Campaign merit list. This number excludes those who have accepted an offer of appointment but have not yet commenced training.
Request 2
Based on the expected budget allocation for the 2025-26 financial year, how many recruitment intakes has the PSNI planned for that period?
Answer 2
It is anticipated that 10 Student Officer training courses will commence during the 2025/26 financial year.
Request 3
How many student officers are planned to be included in each intake?
Answer 3
Course sizes will be determined by the overall number of Student Officers to be appointed; varying between approximately 30 and 50 appointees per course.
Request 4
Has the PSNI set a target for the total number of student officers to be recruited in the 2025-26 financial year? If so, what is that target?
Answer 4
In order to maintain our overall headcount of approximately 6300 officers, there is a requirement to appoint approximately 350 Student Officers each year. However, the Chief Constable is committed to increasing our officer headcount to 7000 over the next three years, which would require increased appointments.
Request 5
Are there any contingency plans in place should the final budget allocation differ significantly from initial expectations? (Both if budget is lower and higher than expected)
Answer 5
Our objective is to progress towards an officer headcount of 7000. If the funding is not available for this increase, we will seek to maintain the existing headcount.