Today South Australia Police celebrated a decade of priceless contributions as the Police Volunteers Program is celebrating a decade of success.
Commencing in January 2010 on an initial trial basis with 16 volunteers in public relations roles at Holden Hill and Golden Grove police stations, the program soon expanded across Local Service Areas. Existing SA Police areas such as the South Australian Police Historical Society, Neighbourhood Watch, Blue Light and the Police Chaplains were brought under the program's umbrella. Further volunteer opportunities then became available with the Road Safety Centre, role players for recruits, Call Centre and Mounted Operations Unit for public order training.
SA Police is now supported by more than 1,000 authorised volunteers across a range of different volunteer roles throughout the state, in areas such as training, community engagement, crime prevention and community safety. Emphasising the value of the Police Volunteers Program, around 80 former volunteers have gained paid employment with SA Police in areas such as the Call Centre, Police Security Services Branch and as sworn members.
Seven of the initial 16 volunteers that were involved in the pilot program in January 2010 are still making contributions and have collectively volunteered just under 11,000 hours with SA Police
We would like to thank our volunteers throughout the 10 years of this wonderful program and hope to see many more people join us in the future.
If you are interested in volunteering please visit our website: https://www.police.sa.gov.au/join-us/achievemore/volunteer-opportunities
