Female officers have accounted for almost half of the latest intake of probationary constables to join Police Scotland.
Of the 179 officers who were welcomed into the policing family today by Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, 82 of them were women.
A total of 12 per cent of the new intake are from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The new recruits took their Oath of Office at a ceremony at Police Scotland’s Headquarters at Tulliallan Castle in Fife as the Chief Constable welcomed them into policing and a career dedicated to public service.
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.”
A significant number of the recruits are graduates with degrees in disciplines including Law, Criminology, Psychology, Robotics and Cybertronics, Forensic Anthropology and Applied Pharmacology. The intake also includes six former Special Constables, a fraud advisor, civil servant, footballer and a civil engineer.
Visit Police Scotland’s website for more information on a career in policing: https://www.scotland.police.uk
