Officers no longer able to use leave without pay indefinitely: Police commissioner Jamie Chalker

Police officers were using ‘leave without pay’ to take up jobs interstate, NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has revealed, which is partly the reason behind a massive exodus from the force.

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COPPERS no longer being able to use the NT Police Force as a career back-up is partially behind 120 officers leaving over the past 12 months.

The explanation was given by Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker on ABC Radio Friday morning.

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It came the day after a CLP motion to establish a committee looking into retention rates in NT Police was voted down in NT parliament on Thursday.

The Commissioner said officers in NT Police had been taking unpaid leave to take up jobs interstate, expecting they could resume work in the Territory as a back up.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker. Picture Katrina Bridgeford.

Mr Chalker said such a practice had been scuppered recently.

“If you’re going to seek other options and other employment interstate, then leave without pay is not really an appropriate option,” he said.

“Good police officers will always be able to return to our agency, there’s no need for a safety net of having leave without pay.”

Mr Chalker said other jurisdictions were conducting recruitment drives which made good police officers incredibly valuable.

He said Queensland Police were seeking 2500 more police officers, Western Australia 950 more and Victoria 3000 more, as well as the Australian Federal Police.

“Our people are very attractive to those other jurisdictions because they’re well experienced,” he said.

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