South Australian Police loses 227 cops last 12 months while only recruiting 218 new cadets

Keeping cops on the job appears to be a huge problem for SA Police as more than 200 officers have called quits in the past 12 months.

SA Police lost 227 officers during the last 12 months and recruited 218 new cadets in the same time, – decreasing their numbers by nine people.

The organisation is facing severe annual attrition challenges, as well as falling short on the required number of officers required by 167 people.

These problems have come to a head over the years, as in 2018 resignations only accounted for about 18 per cent of all SAPOL separations. However, in the past 12 months the number of resignations has skyrocketed to 55 per cent.

SAPOL continues to face severe annual recruitment and attrition challenges. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Police Association president Wade Burns said officers were being pushed to the brink of burn out under the weight of demand placed on them by the organisation as the attrition rate rises.

“Retention of police is now at crisis point,” he said.

“It’s a critical situation and our members and the community are being adversely affected.”

“These departures are more than a mere staffing statistic; they affect the levels to which our members and South Australian streets are safe.”

Mr Burns also said there had been an increase in taskings and jobs of higher complexity.

An SA Police spokesman said they had long been “confronted” by the issue of staff retention making it “a key focus of the organisation” to find a solution.

“SAPOL is challenged with current staffing levels due to not only an ageing workforce but more people re-evaluating their careers post Covid,” he said. “More than ever before we are reaching out to the target market to engage with potential candidates.

“These include accelerated recruiting campaigns both locally and in other jurisdictions, the extended use of Police Security Officers to free up frontline officers from non-core tasks and service reviews to ensure resources are being used appropriately.”

Police Minister Dan Cregan said SA had one of the lowest attrition rates in the country. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Meanwhile, Police Minister Dan Cregan said “South Australia has one of the lowest attrition rates in the country”, and more is being done to improve staff numbers.

“The Government is investing a record amount to drive this down further and ease workforce demand,” he said.

“This includes funding new measures to free up more than 100 officers and staff for operational duties, in addition to hiring extra Police Security Officers to allow dozens of officers to return to the frontline.”

One of the ways of easing the crisis includes international recruits beginning the academy from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Ireland in November 2024.