Displaying items by tag: recruitment

The Haitian government has announced a recruitment drive for its military, attracting thousands of young men eager for jobs amid widespread gang violence and economic hardship. Many, like 21-year-old Maurenceley Clerge, see joining the military as a rare job opportunity in a deeply impoverished country. They want to improve their lives and serve their country, despite the risks of kidnapping, torture, or death. The army, disbanded in 1995 due to its notorious human rights abuses and involvement in coups, was reinstated in 2017 when the UN peace-keeping force withdrew from the country. The force currently has around 2,000 soldiers, but aims to more than double its size. More than 3,200 killings have been reported in Haiti from January to May, with gang violence leaving more than half a million people homeless in recent years.

Pressure on GPs is ‘dangerously close to a death spiral’ as doctors leave, says Dr Paul Evans. BMA's safe working guidance states GPs should have up to 25 patient encounters a day. But on Mondays a doctor could have 40, 50, sometimes even 60 direct patient contacts. The problem worsens as the pressure leads to more GPs leaving the profession. The NHS has recruited 4,000+ trainee GPs in 2022, hitting government targets. However, while training places have increased, quite a significant number who finish training leave the system because it is so hard to work in. Rishi Sunak said the NHS was a priority and ‘billions of pounds extra’ would be invested, adding, ‘I'm confident, because we are putting in the extra resources, we will be able to find a way to improve the services’.

We prayed recently for the capture of terrorists in Indonesiawho killed four Christians. See ‘When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks’ (Qur’an 47:4). Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, has long wrestled with extremist militancy and terror attacks, while Central Sulawesi has seen intermittent violence between Christians and Muslims for decades. After President Suharto’s fall in 1998, Indonesian Muslims who had travelled to join the fight against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s returned to Indonesia and formed various militant groups and launched multiple terrorist attacks. IS has capitalised on Indonesia’s Islamist networks to boost its recruitment efforts and carry out attacks in the country. IS propaganda is singling out Indonesian Muslims for recruitment.

Warnings from the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) about long-term funding of police services have received widespread media coverage. An estimated half a million applications are needed to fill 53,000 police officer posts, to fulfil the Government’s pledge to boost the service by 20,000. The federation calls on ministers to deliver on recent promises and rewrite funding rules by introducing at least a ten-year strategy for budgets, to allow forces to plan properly for the future instead of sticking to the current annual review. Speaking on Sky News a representative said, ‘Many promises have been made; we now need them to be turned into action.’ An estimated one in every 170 people in England and Wales will be needed if those 53,000 vacancies are to be filled. See also

Ministry of Defence data show that numbers in infantry units have consistently been falling over the past five years. Some UK combat regiments are operating at almost 40% less than their required strength, due to declining recruitment numbers. A quarterly report noted a 7.6% drop in army personnel on 1 January. Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been urged to address the issue. Tory MP Bob Seely criticised the firm Capita, which began managing recruitment for the MoD in 2012. He said, ‘I’m afraid to say that Capita have not been a success. If you talk to people who are wanting to go into the Army, the most common way they describe it is shambolic and chaotic.’ A Capita spokesperson said that they are in the middle of a re-set, which started last year but is already seeing excellent results.

In what is believed to be a UK policing first, the Metropolitan Police Service has announced that new police constable recruits will be able to join the service in a part-time role from November. They will complete police training part-time, and hit the streets of London part-time.. The new scheme was born out of the Met’s celebrations to recognise the contribution of women to the service over the last 100 years. However, the opportunity is open to both men and women, and it is hoped it will help achieve the Commissioner’s long-term ambition of a police service in which men and women are equally represented. Part-time policing will give the flexibility to balance their work and family life.