Minister for Police Lisa Neville today congratulated Victoria Police’s 65 newest members during a graduation ceremony at the Victoria Police Academy.
The recruits from squads 25 and 26 and Constable Qualifying Program Squad 34 have undergone an intensive training course, involving on-the-job training and placements at police stations.
The Constable Qualifying Program course is a 19-week course to transition from Protective Services Officers (PSO) and is in addition to the 12 weeks training the graduates previously completed to become PSOs.
Today’s graduates reflect the diversity of the Victorian community with 13 born overseas, including Serbia, Iraq, India and Macedonia.
The Victoria Police Academy will continue running at capacity over the coming years, as the recruitment of more police, custody officers and PSOs ramps up.
The Andrews Labor Government is delivering the single biggest funding boost in the history of the force, with $2 billion to recruit an extra 2,729 police over the next four years.
This will see an extra 3,135 new police, including the 406 police funded in the Victorian Budget 2016/17 hitting the beat over the coming years.
The first 300 new police have been allocated to Victoria’s booming growth areas.
The 65 new officers will be initially deployed to duties including booze and drug buses and at regional stations, before they are allocated to a permanent station in the coming months.
The massive boost to police resources comes on top of a new police training facility, new and upgraded police stations, high-tech Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology for all highway patrol cars, an expanded air wing, mobile technology and new police powers.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville
“We are giving Victoria Police the resources they need to crack down on crime and these latest recruits will bolster the front line and help the force keep the Victorian community safe.”
“The graduates will now be deployed across the state, including at police stations in Victoria’s booming growth areas, to help address local crime issues.” “I’d like to thank the 65 new police officers who graduated today for their dedication and commitment to serving the Victorian community.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020