Victoria Police struggling to find new recruits

Victoria police is struggling to find new recruits, with a tough job market and Covid-era policing potentially contributing to the shortage.

It is unclear what effect Covid-era policing has had on Victoria Police’s recruitment drive. Picture: Daniel Pockett

Victoria Police is struggling to find new recruits as Australia’s labour shortage extends to law enforcement.

The force’s academy intake is well below that of previous years as command moves to meet the next promised boost in member numbers.

A number of factors are contributing to the situation.

A police spokesman said the lack of new applicants was partly due to the tight job market troubling all sectors.

“Victoria Police — like all employers — is operating in an extremely competitive job market with historically low levels of unemployment,” the spokesman said.

“We acknowledge our recruit applications are lower than we would like.”

It is unclear what effect Covid-era policing has had on numbers.

The two years of the pandemic left Victoria Police members enforcing new laws which were deeply unpopular with many people.

Some of the high-profile operations to deal with protest activity were described by critics as heavy-handed and may have made the career look less attractive.

The force has also not run a recruitment advertising campaign since June, 2021.

It will launch another in coming months and the spokesman said there was confidence that the promised 502 officers would be delivered in the next two years.

Rates of attrition, common to many industries as people increasingly change careers, means the number needed will potentially be even greater.

“Policing is a diverse, rewarding and challenging career and we encourage anyone interested in making a difference within the community to apply now,” the spokesman said.

In March this year the force had 16,311 employed officers, 114 police recruits, 1441 PSOs, and 21 PSOs in training.

The number of police has increased by 2061 officers since 2018, after the state government announced a $2 million boost to numbers and resources the year prior.

The recruitment process to become an officer can take more than six months to complete and assesses competencies including intellect, psychological make-up, general fitness, work history and community involvement among others.

Recruits are paid to train and learn from day one at the academy, while sworn members are entitled to nine weeks annual leave per year.