Attrition rate only up 0.33 per cent, as 95 officers leave force, Estimates reveal
Despite nearly 100 officers leaving the force in the space of a year, NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has claimed reports of an attrition crisis within his ranks is “catatrophisation”.
Northern Territory
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THE government has sought to quash fears of an exodus in the ranks of NT Police, after 95 officers left the force in the space of a year.
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker claimed commentary around attrition had been akin to “catastrophisation”, citing that the rate of changing staff in his organisation had barely changed.
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It was revealed in NT Estimates on Monday that the churn in NT Police was about 5.25 per cent of officers in the year leading up to March 31 2021.
That was just a 0.33 per cent increase on the year to June 30 2020, when the attrition rate stood at 4.92 per cent.
Police Minister Nicole Manison said 95 officers had left the force in the year to May 2021, including 77 resignations, 12 retirements and six dismissals.
“We have seen other Australian jurisdictions aggressively recruiting and increasing their numbers of police,” Ms Manison said.
“There is always going to be a level of turnover in an organisation as large as the Northern Territory Police.”
“We have increased the numbers and we have put more officers on the job than ever before.”
Mr Chalker said the attrition rate increase was “not significant in the scheme of things”, and cited higher standards expected of junior officers than before.
“I’m not going to apologise for raising the bar to the level I have, so we have moved on more recruits … because the standard in the college has increased.”
“Nobody wants police officers that are using illicit drugs whilst on duty, and no one wants a police officer who has stolen a police-issued firearm.”
It was also revealed in NT Estimates that the police service had seen an increase of 72 full-time-equivalent staff in the year to May.
When asked by opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro why 77 officers had resigned and left the force, Mr Chalker said only 10 exit interviews had been conducted.
“We don’t tend to have a high take up of exit interview participation – it is voluntary, it remains voluntary,” he said.
“But what we do know is a large number of them have gone to law enforcement agencies.” Of those who left the force, one was an executive, 49 were constables and above, nine constable recruits, 15 police auxiliaries, two Aboriginal community police officers and one Aboriginal police officer recruit.
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