The chief constable of Cambridgeshire police has welcomed news of a recruitment drive for new officers.

The Government announced the official launch of a campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers in the country last week.

The 'Be a Force for All' campaign is the biggest national recruitment drive in decades and follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson's commitment to increase police numbers over the next three years.

Cambridgeshire Chief Constable Nick Dean said: "Any increase in officer numbers is good news and will be invested in providing the public with an enhanced policing service. We currently have just under 1,500 officers in the county, so any increase is a positive, I think.

"I have already committed extra resources to policing our neighbourhoods and any further increase in police officers will support our ability to prevent and detect crime, and importantly keep our communities safe.

"We await further details on what exactly this means for Cambridgeshire in terms of resources."

Chief Constable Dean also said he felt positive the force would continue to fight crime in the area, declaring himself pleased with how his officers were performing. He said: "We currently have officers working on fighting crime in the area, and I couldn't be more proud of them. From targeting the most serious crimes on the streets, to working on investigations to deal with county lines."

The news comes as the county welcomed 17 new recruits at a passing out parade in Huntingdon.

A passing out parade was held on September 3.

Having successfully completed 16 weeks of training, the officers will now be posted across the county.

Chief Constable Dean said: "My team have done some tremendous work this year, and I am really impressed with what they have done to keep the streets safer. I am hoping that we can continue to do this with the new officers."

Speaking to the Hunts Post earlier this year, the police and crime commissioner, Jason Ablewhite, said: "I very much welcome the fact that police officer numbers are being increased by 20,000 nationally. These additional officers will help our police forces to cut crime and provide better outcomes for victims."