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Disillusioned gardaí among hundreds of new officers joining South Australia Police

Earlier this year, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) warned that a “record number” of gardaí are due to quit the force

Yesterday at 15:38

Hundreds of experienced police officers, including those who have quit the gardaí in Ireland, have joined the South Australia Police, it has been revealed.

According to the Government of South Australia, police intake there has hit a five-year high after an international recruitment drive was given the go-ahead.

The number of local sworn in South Australia Police (SAPOL) recruits has almost doubled since last year, after the government, run by Premier Peter Malinauskas MP got the green light for its comprehensive international police recruitment plan.

“With critical funding delivered in this year’s State Budget resulting in more recruitment courses, SAPOL has sworn in 230 local cadets this calendar year, compared with 121 in 2022,” an announcement by the Australian Government reveals.

“The $12.2 million package is enabling the training of 900 local cadets by the end of 2025-26 and will see as many as 200 experienced officers from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand join SAPOL.”

Campaigns, which have been running in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, will now be ramped up, in a bid to sell what has been described as the attractive lifestyle of living and working in South Australia.

The successful ‘You Belong in Blue’ campaign, which has helped SAPOL to achieve its best recruiting year since 2018, will continue to attract local officers.

Six training courses have begun since July 1 2023 with a further six scheduled to commence by June 30, 2024, SAPOL is aiming to recruit 300 cadets this financial year.

The Fort Largs Police Academy in Taperoo is currently training 211 cadets.

“Our government is committed to providing SAPOL with the resources it needs to continue to keep South Australians safe,” a statement reads.

“We have seen significant year on year increases in police recruitment as we work to train 900 cadets through the Police Academy over the next three years.

Alongside this, the international recruitment drive in New Zealand, the UK and Ireland will allow SAPOL to intensify its efforts to get experienced officers on the beat.

“I look forward to welcoming overseas officers to our beautiful part of the world, where they will join hundreds of newly graduated local police,” the premier’s message reads.

Earlier this year, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) warned that a “record number” of gardaí are due to quit the force this year.

The Joint Committee for engagement on Policing Matters was told by the GRA that it expects at least 150 gardaí to leave the force this year, with 116 members having resigned already.

Last year, 107 members of An Garda Síochána resigned from the force.

Ronan Slevin, the general secretary of the GRA, told the Committee that there is “extreme concern” in the force and that a “growing number are simply walking away”.

“This is an extreme concern, where overall conditions and terms of service, general wellbeing, morale and lack of recognition, poor pension entitlements for new recruits, resourcing, bureaucracy, workload and an unfair disciplinary process all contribute to the disillusionment of the modern garda, where a growing number are simply walking away,” he said.

“In the area of recruitment, we are not seeing sufficient numbers presenting to join the force, despite government approval for garda management to achieve an adequate level of recruits,” Mr Slevin said.

“Training is an area which the public can see most visibly, particularly given the growing level of intimidation that our members face, notably around public gatherings by groups holding extreme views and espousing hate-filled philosophies,” Mr Slevin added.

He says this is due to a combination of a lack of recognition, poor pension entitlements for new recruits, workload, and an unfair disciplinary process.

Slevin says “all contribute to the disillusionment of the modern Garda”.

This month alone, ten garda members have given their notice to quit.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors told the committee that “An Garda Síochána have seen dramatic reductions in the last twenty years, with the most recent 2022 competition attracting only approximately five thousand applicants”.

It also stated that it is “clear” that young people do not view joining the force “as an attractive career option”, adding: “An Garda Síochána throughout its one hundred year history has never experienced such a difficult recruitment environment, even in the midst of the Celtic Tiger when there was similar full employment figures.”