A record-breaking number of recruits are being trained at Queensland Police Academies with the commencement of 143 new recruits commencing this week.
The first intake of 2024 has pushed the number of police in training at Oxley and Townsville to 681 recruits - the highest level on record.
The pipeline of registered recruit applicants with Queensland Police has also grown to almost 2,000 with strong interest from across Queensland, interstate and overseas jurisdictions.
The strengthened recruitment pipeline follows the launch of the QPS' largest ever recruitment marketing campaign, Challenging, Rewarding, Policing last year as well as a raft of attractive incentives.
The State Government announced major incentives to attract potential recruits including:
- A special cost of living allowance on top of the current recruit wage;
- Free accommodation for recruits living at police academies;
- $20,000 towards the relocation costs of interstate and overseas applicants who are serving or recently served police officers;
- Up to $20,000 towards eligible HECS debts for successful police recruit graduates.
Police and Community Safety Minister, Mark Ryan, said the recruitment efforts of the Queensland Police Service are leading to a record number of recruits.
"The Queensland Police Service has ramped up its recruitment efforts and for the first time ever, there are close to 700 recruits now in training at Queensland Police Academies," said Minister Mark Ryan.
"Despite an intensely competitive labour market, Queensland Police is leading the way with significant interest in people applying to join the QPS.
"We have seen applications continue to rise over the Christmas break and there is now an application pool of nearly 2,000 recruit applicants wanting to serve the Queensland community.
"Police do an incredibly important job in keeping our community safe, and a well-resourced, fully equipped, and well-trained police service is essential for addressing the evolving needs of our community.
"We are investing $87.5 million over 5 years to support the largest ever police recruitment drive, to attract applicants who are ready to take on both the challenges and rewards of a fulfilling career as a police officer."
Assistant Commissioner of People Capability Command, Mark Kelly, said there is an increased interest in people wanting to join the Queensland Police Service.
"We have been blown away with the strong interest in people wanting to join the Queensland Police Service despite the very competitive labour market in Australia," Assistant Commissioner Mark Kelly said.
"Our Police Academies are now full of fantastic police recruits, ready to embark on a very rewarding career serving their communities.
"We are committed to getting the right people who represent our values as an organisation and those that are committed to keeping Queensland safe.
"It's why we always ensure our training is constantly reviewed. For example, we have recently reviewed and expanded our domestic and family violence training programs.
"A career in policing is a career like no other. The sheer variety of roles, skills, situations and moments in a vast state like ours makes it such a uniquely challenging and rewarding career for everyone to consider."
A career within the Queensland Police Service is like no other. From protecting, responding, and investigating, to supporting, rescuing and learning – the sheer variety of roles make it both a challenging and rewarding career.
As a police officer, you can have one career that has endless possibilities. Now really is the best time to join.
Visit PoliceRecruit.qld.gov.au to kickstart your policing career and make a positive impact in your community.
