Top cop moves to redeploy more police resources to the front line

Promotions have been frozen and police public transport officers will head to the frontline amid critical changes to address a crippling shortage.

Police public transport officers will be redeployed to the frontline and cadet recruiting will be fast-tracked as part of a series of emergency measures to help tackle a crippling resourcing crisis.

Transfers and promotions will also be frozen and hundreds of non-critical officers will be transferred into crucial support roles as Police Commissioner Grant Stevens takes unprecedented action.

The moves – which includes moving 22 officers from the Police Public Transport Team to frontline district roles – are designed to provide an immediate, short-term response to the ongoing resources crisis that has crippled frontline policing, and adversely affected the health and welfare of officers struggling to maintain services to the community.

Mr Stevens said work on the initiatives had been continuning for some time and while some could affect individual officers – such as a transfer and promotion freeze – were necessary.

“We are mindful of the fact it is going to have an impact on individuals, but we have an obligation to make sure we are balancing the impact of the staffing issues across the organisation,” he said.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has outlined a number of emergency measures to address police resources. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Tricia Watkinson

“It is something we will closely monitor because of the fact it does have an impact on individuals. It will be subject to regular review so it is only kept in place as long as necessary.”

SA Police Association president Mark Carroll welcomed the initiatives.

“We are encouraged the police commissioner has taken note of membership concerns and is acting in the short term to address the critical issues on the frontline,” he said.

A key emergency measure involves putting more resources into fast-tracking cadet applications so that nine new cadet courses can be filled.

It includes a streamlined online application process and the scrapping of a $148.50 TAFE testing fee.

Mr Stevens said a new advertising and marketing campaign had already boosted applications in recent weeks.

“We are doing everything we can to make it as easy as possible for people to put an application in and have it processed,” he said.

The new initiatives come on top of moves revealed by The Advertiser last month to hand more than a dozen traditional police roles to protective security officers.

The roles include guarding crime scenes, alarm response at schools, traffic cordons, welfare checks, and hospital and cell-guard duties.

A project team is developing legislation for the move, which is expected to return up to 100 officers to the frontline.

The resources crisis – which has resulted in many street-level crimes and minor drug offences being filed rather than investigated – has been brought about by factors including Covid absences and a shortage of recruits that has led to three intake courses of 90 cadets being cancelled.

A fortnight ago, The Advertiser revealed a 12-member Premier’s taskforce had been established to determine how many extra police needed to be recruited over the next decade and what traditional policing roles could be handed to non-sworn officers. It will report to cabinet in November.