NSW Police Is Really Struggling to Entice New Recruits

Nothing like a once-in-century pandemic to stop you from… wanting to sign up to join the police force?

At least, that seems to be the case for New South Wales Police.

The state’s police force has made headlines recently for struggling to group together the required recruits to protect and serve… even more than they already do.

Unfortunately for them, it turns out that playing endless commercials at half-time during the footy isn’t enough to bolster recruitment.

On Wednesday, the Daily Telegraph reported some damning statistics related to police numbers in NSW, mostly surrounding a a lack of growth in new recruits and an increase in cops hanging up the taser and pepper spray and gun and handcuffs and vest and black military boots for good.

With a usual wait list of new recruits bordering around the 2000 mark, the Daily Telegraph claims there had been so few entry-level recruits that, last year, one class at the Goulburn Police Academy was cancelled. In the last four years, the amount of police leaving the force has also doubled.

But it seems like at least some of the losses have come by way of the force’s Optional Disengagement Plan – something designed to let 10+ year veterans leave with a rather juicy lump sum payment. Not a bad deal! However, the plan that was originally intended for burnt-out 60-year-olds reportedly resulted in a bunch of officers in their '30s packing up and heading home. Really, who can blame them?

Speaking to 2GB Radio’s Mark Levy on Wednesday morning, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the force wouldn’t rule out working with the union to pay trainees. A few months ago, the prohibitive cost of training was also flagged as a reason for the dwindling numbers.

NSW Minister for Police Paul Toole said on Sunday that a new “You Should Be a Cop” campaign will go some way to bolstering recruitment with the “biggest increase in police numbers across the state in more than 30 years.”

If you want to know how much the NSW Police Drive for More Cops is costing, the government committed $583 million dollars in 2018, over four years, to ensure 1500 new members of the force would join the NSW Police ranks. They’re also on TikTok now, with mixed results.

Cool!