A DRIVE to recruit more police officers in Lancashire has been declared a success.

The force yesterday announced it had met all last year's targets, especially women and people from ethnic minorities, on was on course to meet this year's.

Chief Superintendent Warren Turner said between March 2001 and March 2002, 201 new officers were recruited, including 77 for the Government's Crime Fighting Fund initiative.

Overall, numbers rose by 49 to 3,304, an increase of 1.5 per cent.

Nationally, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced that the number of police officers in England and Wales was at its highest ever total of 129,603 with more than 100,000 constables for the first time.

Mr Turner said the force had worked hard with other agencies to meet its target to recruit more officers from ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups.

The number of ethnic minority officers in the Lancashire force rose by seven (13.5 per cent) from 52 to 59 over the same 12-month period.

They now made up 1.8 per cent of the force.

He said women made up 19 per cent of the current force.

About 26 per cent of new recruits were women.

Numbers of special constables and support staff from ethnic minorities was ahead of target.