‘Taking advantage’: Loophole uncovered in incentive scheme offering cash payments to Qld police recruits

A multimillion-dollar Queensland Police Service incentive designed to boost frontline police numbers was rolled out with a major loophole, enabling new recruits to accept cash payments and then leave the service within months.

Former police minister Mark Ryan launched the scheme alongside then-police commissioner Katarina Carroll in 2023, offering $20,000 payments to interstate and overseas officers interested in making the move to the Sunshine State.

It was unveiled alongside a second incentive wiping $20,000 off the higher education debts of university graduates who enrolled.

But almost two years on, it’s been revealed the scheme was introduced with no minimum service requirement, and no obligation for officers who accept the payments and later resign, to reimburse the Service.

“We developed those incentives because we saw that retention was a real issue with this organisation”, Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior told Nine News.

“It’s a matter for the service to put some due diligence around how they roll out these schemes. And it would be very disappointing to see that due diligence hasn’t been done in these circumstances.”

In contrast, a rural health worker incentive, known as the ‘Workforce Attraction Incentive Scheme’, which was also introduced in 2023, earned employees additional payments at the completion of each year they continued employment in the regional area.

That policy was scrapped in February, but the police incentives remain in place.

$28 million was initially allocated for up to 1400 officers to claim the incentives, which are paid in two instalments.

The scheme was introduced by former police minister Mark Ryan.Credit: Matt Dennien

The first $10,000 is paid upon graduation from the eight-month recruit training program.

The second is handed over upon completion of the first-year constable program, or probation period, of at least 12 months.

Police Minister Dan Purdie admitted the system opens the door to dishonesty.

“It appears that some people are taking advantage of the initial payment and then not seeing it through to become a hardworking member of the Queensland Police Service.”

As of last month, 205 recruits had claimed the incentive for interstate and overseas officers, and 13 had left the service.

Another 55 officers had claimed the HECS debt incentive, with one later resigning.

But second instalment payments have only recently begun rolling out, raising concerns hundreds of thousands of dollars more could be wasted.

Purdie said the retention data will be examined, conceding the terms of the incentive may require review.

“Anyone who is taking the mickey out of Queensland taxpayers is unacceptable.”