Policing’s next generation of officers have been targeted in a ground-breaking recruitment forum exclusively hosted across social media.

Future cops got tips and advice from a serving frontline officer in an exercise that reached tens of thousands of people potentially wishing to enrol in the service.

Response officer PC Karandeep Sandhu and resourcing manager Chloe Herrmann fielded questions and comments from those interested in joining the ranks of Britain’s biggest regional force.

The innovative Q&A was hosted across the West Midlands Police social media network and targeted to catch the “student” population – ahead of A-level results the next day.

More than 350 questions flooded in from a range of platforms throughout the evening.

The force put estimates of the “reach” of the recruitment surgery at 23,000 people.

Those interested in applying to become a police officer were able to submit questions about the process via Instagram, Insta Stories and Facebook.

Ms Herrmann said: “There have been lots of changes to the recruitment criteria, so there were lots of questions about what that meant for people.

“The online surgery was the perfect opportunity to engage with a huge number of potential applicants in one go.

“We were able to address some of the more frequently asked questions and explain about the different programmes and routes into policing.”

Programmes include the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship and the shorter Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice available for degree-holders only.

Ms Herrmann answered questions about entry requirements and eligibility while PC Sandhu was on hand to field the questions about the role.

He offered insight on everything from the fitness test to what the initial training’s really like and even what support is available to officers should they need it.

These were some of the most frequently asked questions on the night:

•  Do I need A-levels to become a police officer?
•  I’ve heard I’ll need a degree to join, is this true?
•  If I’m on one of the degree programmes, how often will I have to attend university
•  Will I get paid, if so what’s the salary?
•  What’s the age limit?
•  What level of fitness is needed? Is there still a height and weight requirement?
•  How long does the recruitment process take?
•  Why do I need professional qualifications to become a police officer?
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