POOLE’s army reservists are to be boosted to a 100-strong company, based in the town.

The 30-strong platoon of 6 Rifles, currently based at Wallisdown, will become a 100-strong company while the Dorchester unit, currently a company, will step down to a platoon by the end of 2014.

“It really is important,” said Brigadier Piers Hankinson, Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade, speaking in Poole at a community engagement event aimed at employers.

“Having to travel to Dorchester can put some people off. We are moving the centre to where the people are,” he said.

“Both regular and reservist recruiting is strong and Dorset is very supportive of the army. That said, because the army is always having to recruit, because we continually have people leaving for various reasons, we are always wanting to recruit more.

“Because of the change with C Company moving to Poole, we want to recruit more reservists in the Poole area,” he said.

This year, he needs to sign up 39 soldiers into the Royal Wessex Yeomanry and 43 reservists into 6 Rifles and employers were told of the benefits they brought to the workplace and the better conditions and support from the army.

“The army is changing,” said the Brigadier. Due to factors such as the economic situation, 20,000 regular soldiers were losing their jobs and the reserve force, formerly the Territorial Army, was growing by 30,000 to help fill the gap.

As well as front line duties in war zones, including Afghanistan, reservists help in disaster areas and with community events such as the Olympic sailing at Weymouth, where the brigadier was the military commander.

He said Dorset was popular with the military, with four per cent of service leavers choosing to settle in the county.

“We want to increase the awareness of employers and for them to encourage any of their workforce who wish to join the reservists,” he added.