The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) will launch an officer recruitment campaign today, aiming to lift numbers from an all-time low.
It has said its “recovery plan” will require £200m in extra finance from Stormont.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher wants a service with 7,000 officers by 2028 – it currently has 6,300.
He recently warned the PSNI was at “a watershed moment” after years of funding problems.
The new campaign will be the first significant drive to recruit trainees since 2021.
They will be offered a starting salary of £34,000, which includes a £4,000 allowance commonly referred to as “danger money”.
Recruitment has slowed dramatically in recent years and not kept pace with departures.
Mr Boutcher is pushing ahead with the campaign while awaiting approval for additional money from the Northern Ireland Executive.
Last week the PSNI told a committee of MPs that it needed £200m spread over the next five years.
As well as new officers it would pay for 400 more civilian staff.
There has been a long-running debate over police numbers.
The New Decade New Approach deal in 2020 gave a political commitment to the PSNI having 7,500 officers, as envisaged under policing reforms two decades ago.
Last year the PSNI said there was “a compelling case” for 8,500 officers, based on comparisons with other UK police services.
Officer strength is an operational matter for the chief constable.
He pays for them out of his annual budget allocation from the Department of Justice.
Justice minister Naomi Long has stated there is an urgent need to “stabilise and improve” current numbers.
