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Experienced Canadian officers are the target of South Australian Police’s (SAPOL) latest overseas recruitment campaign.
The SA government says experienced Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers will be targeted based on campaigns used in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.
Any RCMP recruits will be fast-tracked to get them into service as soon as possible.
According to the government, 80 overseas officers will join SAPOL with nearly 100 more officers now being assessed out of 450 applications.
The government says the first group of overseas officers started at the Police Academy on Monday, with two more courses scheduled in January 2025.
SA Police Minister Dan Cregan says government will spend $12.2m to boost police numbers in the state.
“We have more frontline officers per capita than any other state and plans are underway to build on this workforce,” he says.
“At every level and across jurisdictions, SAPOL is exploring strategies to attract and retain officers.”
Incentives for successful overseas officers include reimbursement of visa costs for them and their immediate family and relocation and transition support.
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FIRST GROUP
According to SAPOL, 15 experienced overseas and interstate officers with a combined 123 years’ experience were sworn in earlier this today; nine of them with families.
Officers came from UK (eight from England and four from Scotland), New Zealand, and interstate with experience in general duties and specialist skills such as major crime, child protection, community policing and domestic violence prevention.
SAPOL says unlike the nine-month cadet program for local recruits, the overseas officers will go through a 15-week transition course designed for those with at least three years of service experience.
SA Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens said these recruits are to graduate on March 4, 2025, and will be deployed to areas such as Port Pirie, Whyalla and the broader metropolitan Adelaide area.
“By recruiting experienced police officers, we are fast-tracking the process of getting highly skilled professionals on the ground,” he says.
SAPOL is also recruiting locally. Details: www.police.sa.gov.au/join-us
