The Queensland Police Service (QPS) celebrated a milestone weeks ago by inducting 56 new frontline officers from the Townsville Police Academy—the highest number of graduates in 13 years.
New Police Officers from Townsville Police Academy
The graduating group is the first to be welcomed into the Service from the Townsville Academy for 2024, with more than 2,000 applicants currently in the recruiting pipeline.
This is in addition to over 600 recruits currently training at the Police Academies.
The significant admission underscores QPS’s commitment to bolstering the frontline and ensuring community safety.
The graduates bring diverse professional backgrounds, including engineering, defence, mechanics, and other skilled trades.
Police Graduates
Among the new officers, First Year Constable (FYC) Benjamin Maher, with a degree in Animal and Veterinary Bioscience, transitioned from a laboratory career, inspired by his policing family and aspirations in forensics.
FYC Dan Evans, with 25 years in agriculture, aims to join the Rural Stock Crime Squad and will be stationed in Charters Towers with his family.
FYC Melissa Wines, at 50, fulfils her lifelong dream of becoming a police officer and will be the first in her family to join the Service.
QPS recruits receive full-time salaries and cost-of-living allowances during their training, thanks to the government’s largest policing investment in over 30 years.
This $1.28 billion initiative is part of Queensland’s Community Safety Plan, aiming to add nearly 3,000 extra police personnel and focusing on victim support, frontline delivery, offender detention, early intervention, and crime prevention.
News and image source: Queensland myPolice website
