INCENTIVE SCHEME FOR POLICE IN RURAL AND REMOTE LOCATIONS

Police Minister Judy Spence and Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson today announced details of a new incentive scheme to help attract and retain police in rural and remote locations.

Ms Spence said the new scheme involved incentive payments of between $2000 and $5000 a year for more than 300 police officers in 54 locations.

The scheme will apply from January 1 next year.

Commissioner Atkinson said the attraction and retention of police officers in rural and remote locations, in particular those who wanted to settle with their families, had always been a challenge for the Queensland Police Service.

“As an employer, the Police Service faces the same challenges affecting other organisations in encouraging staff to work in rural and remote localities.

“Police in 54 designated locations in the Far Northern, Northern, Central and Southern regions will now be eligible for the new payments”, Mr Atkinson said.

“This new scheme will form an integral part of the police service’s overall attraction and retention strategies for these areas.”

The rural location incentives will be annual payments of $2000 for the first of service, $3000 for the second year, and $5000 for the third and subsequent years.

The initiative will apply to police officers currently serving and who take up duty and remain in the designated rural and remote locations.

“The new rural locality incentive payment goes some way towards acknowledging the particular challenges that face police officers and their families in these locations”, Ms Spence said.

“This payment is designed to both acknowledge those already working in rural and remote locations as well as attract new staff to these areas, which have been traditionally difficult to fill,” she said.

The payments are separate to a $10,000 a year area allowance currently paid to about 100 police working in Indigenous communities. Officers eligible for the Indigenous communities area allowance do not also qualify for the new incentive payment.

The locations designated under the new incentive scheme are:

Far Northern region – Coen, Croydon, Forsayth, Georgetown, Horn Island, Laura, Mt Surprise, Thursday Island, Weipa.

Northern Region – Bedourie, Birdsville, Boulia, Burketown, Camooweal, Cloncurry, Dajarra, Greenvale, Hughenden, Julia Creek, Karumba, Kynuna, McKinlay, Mt Isa, Normanton, Prairie, Richmond, Torrens Creek.

Central Region – Alpha, Aramac, Barcaldine, Blackall, Ilfracombe, Isisford, Jericho, Jundah, Longreach, Muttaburra, Windorah, Winton, Yaraka.

Southern Region – Adavale, Augathella, Bollon, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Eromanga, Eulo, Hungerford, Morven, Mungallala, Quilpie, Tambo, Thargomindah, Wyandra.

Media contacts: Minister’s Office 3239 6218; Police Media: 3015 444