LANCASHIRE police have had a record intake of women recruits - with 50 per cent of new starters being female.

It means the force is the first in the country to have an annual intake where both genders are represented equally.

Out of the 182 new recruits appointed this year - 91 are female and 91 are male.

Louise Miller, the human resources recruitment and selection manager for the constabulary said: "For the first time ever 50 percent of the overall recruits are female.

"With the November intake of recruits having an unprecedented 83 percent of female students in the class, we have exceeded our target of 36.2 percent and as far as I am aware we are the only constabulary in the country to have appointed such a high proportion of female officers in any one year".

Ch Supt Irene Curtis, chair of the constabulary's women's network said: "This excellent result is an example of how the constabulary is committed to the Gender Agenda, which aims to maximise the potential of all women in the service.

"Whilst there is still a long way to go to ensure that we genuinely reflect the make-up of our communities, this is a great step forward and one that I hope will continue."

PC Louise Pointer, who works in the Armed Response Unit, said: "It is an unusual job role for a woman but I really enjoy my work and I think it is really important to enjoy your job.

"It can be a challenge working with a large group of men all day but it is really good work!"