Essex Chief Constable reveals 93 applicants did not meet required standards

Essex Police chief constable BJ Harrington said his force would "do everything we can to be the best we can be"

Nearly 100 police applicants in Essex were rejected because they failed to meet required standards, it has emerged.

Essex Police saw 74 new recruits pass out on Friday, bringing the county's number to 3,686 operational officers.

Chief Constable BJ Harrington said it was an "immensely proud day" but revealed his force rejected 93 applicants last year.

"They didn't meet our standards for one reason or another," he said.

Earlier this week, a report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found hundreds of police officers who should have failed vetting checks may be in the job in England and Wales.

The Essex chief constable told the BBC the findings cut "to the quick" but added it was his job to "make sure that stuff doesn't happen" in his force.

"We've got to acknowledge some of the failings in policing," he said, "and of course we're not complacent."

He said he was "confident" the 74 new officers would do everything they could do the "best" they could be.

Essex Police saw 74 new recruits pass out on Friday, bringing the county's number to 3,686 operational officers

He said his force would "always try the best we can and maintain that trust and confidence".

"We check people, we continue to check people, [and] where people make mistakes, we give them the opportunity to learn," he said.

"If they're genuine mistakes [where they] try to do the right thing for the right reasons, then we give them that chance but clearly, as the public would expect... where they breach that trust, where their integrity is called into question, we'll deal with that and we don't want them in policing."

He added that they had a "very thorough and detailed vetting processes" for applicants and not only had they rejected 93 people last year but had dismissed 17 people this year for "breaches of the standards that the public would expect".

"[It's] my job and the job of this force to make sure we learn [from] those mistakes, [and] we make sure that stuff doesn't happen whether that's through vetting, through training [or] just not accepting poor standards - but there are thousands of officers here who do a brilliant job every day."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [e-mail]