The Miles Labor Government has announced a significant expansion of the Queensland Police Service, with 900 new positions over three years under its Community Safety Plan, including 57 additional officers for the Central Queensland Police Region, covering Mackay, Whitsundays, and Capricornia.
This initiative complements the government’s existing 2,025 by 2025 commitment, raising the total investment to over 3,000 additional police personnel.
Queensland Police in Mackay have dedicated youth co-responder teams working to reduce youth offending and reoffending.
This month, the Mackay Youth Co-Responder team celebrated three years of early intervention work.
During this period, they conducted over 5,000 engagements, including proactive outreach, diversions to support services, and assistance for young people and their families.
Despite a globally challenging labour market, Queensland leads the nation in police recruitment.
Queensland’s Police Academies are experiencing a record-breaking number of recruits, with nearly 700 currently undergoing training and over 2,000 applicants in the pipeline.
Thanks to a comprehensive incentive package and an aggressive recruitment campaign, the recruitment pipeline has surged by 200% in the past year.
The Queensland Police Service reports that the current number of police officers, along with recruits in training, marks the highest in the state’s history.
News source: Queensland Government website
