NEW police recruits have hailed the decision to relocate training services to Meirionnydd.

The rookies, 11 men and five women, are undergoing six months of intense training at Dolgellau Police Station.

North Wales Police had originally struggled to attract enough applicants wanting to work in the area.

One of the main problems for people living locally was that they would have had to commute daily to St Asaph for the duration of the six-month training course.

For some it would have involved a two-hour journey each way.

The answer was to switch the training venue for this group of trainee officers.

According to North Wales Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Griffith, the force had been able to recruit talented people who otherwise may have slipped through the net.

She said: “By moving training to Dolgellau it means officers have been recruited from the very communities they will serve and all 16 recruits have agreed they will serve for a minimum of two years in South Gwynedd after completing their initial training.

“I want to see the training of new officers taking place around the force area and not just at Colwyn Bay or St Asaph. As we have done here at Dolgellau, we should be considering holding training courses on Anglesey, at Holyhead or Caernarfon to ensure we attract the very best local recruits.

“I’m also pleased Welsh language skills have been taken into account when recruiting these new officers. That will help them to properly reflect the communities they serve.”

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