More women are being recruited as police officers in Cumbria, figures reveal, as male domination in the ranks continues to subside. The Government says there is more work to be done to make forces representative and campaigners say a rise in female officers will help lead to public confidence in policing. Home Office data shows Cumbria Constabulary took on 94 new officers in 2020-21, including 43 who were women (46 per cent).

The female recruits will go a little way toward balancing the gender ranks among the force's police officers. Separate Home Office figures show 41 per cent of officers in Cumbria were women in March last year, up from 37 per cent four years before. Across the 43 police forces in England and Wales that proportion rose to 32 per cent last year from 30 per cent in 2016. The Home Office said it had used targeted advertising and provided support to candidates in a bid to attract more women for police officer roles.