Wiltshire Constabulary last week celebrated the inauguration of ten new civilian members of staff at an awards ceremony at police headquarters in Devizes, following a tough 15-week training programme.

The ten applicants, who joined the force on April 5, received special certificates at the ceremony. They will now be working in the Force Contact Centre which incorporates central call handling and public service desk staff and the new Emergency Communications Centre, after completing a new, intensive training programme, similar to that of operational police officers.

The course was designed to give new staff the insight and experience to work in a challenging and demanding environment, and equip them with the skills necessary to make often very difficult decisions.

The course will run every six months now that it has been successfully established, ensuring that Wiltshire Constabulary can employ more communication/contact officers to deal with both emergency and non-emergency calls from the public.

Ch Insp John Tapper, head of communications for Wiltshire Constabulary, said: "This was the second time we have run this 15-week training programme. It has proved once again to be a great success and I am pleased with the quality of staff the Wiltshire Constabulary now have.

"Our service delivery will continue to improve due to the comprehensive training the new staff have undertaken."