Queensland Police Academies hit record high as recruit pipeline grows

• Almost 700 police recruits now in training at Queensland Police Academies – the highest number on record.
• 144 new recruits commenced training this week in Brisbane.
• A range of attractive incentives are luring police applicants from across Queensland and around the world.
• Nearly 2000 people now in Queensland Police recruitment application pipeline.

A record-breaking number of recruits are being trained at Queensland Police Academies with the commencement of 144 new recruits commencing this week.

The first intake of 2024 has pushed the number of police in training at Oxley and Townsville to 682 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.

Quotes attributable to Police and Community Safety Minister Mark Ryan:

“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.

“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 2000 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.”

Quotes attributable to Queensland Police Service Assistant Commissioner of People Capability Command, Mark Kelly:

“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,” Commissioner Carroll 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.

“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.

“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.”

To take the first step towards a challenging and rewarding career, find out more at policerecruit.qld.gov.au.

Media contacts 

Minister Ryan’s Office:                                                        Ph: (07) 3035 8300

Police Media:                                                                      Ph: (07) 3015 2444