SAPOL Media Release
4 November 2019
Improvements are being made to the SA Police training program which will see cadets graduating to the role of Probationary Constables in a shorter timeframe.
Overall recruits spend two and a half years on the Constable Development Program, with that total timeframe remaining unchanged, however the initial period of training at the Police Academy will be halved for recruits from 2020.
In recent years, police recruits have spent 12 months at the educational facility at Taperoo before graduating as Probationary Constables. They are permanently appointed as Constables after a further 18 months.
For recruits starting from mid-2020 onwards, the initial period spent at the Academy will be reduced to six months.
Recruits will then graduate and be sworn in as Probationary Constables, spending the next three months being deployed operationally in a continuous training and development phase as part of their total two-year probation period.
Assistant Commissioner Linda Fellows (Human Resources) said the change to the program was potentially more family friendly and attractive to regional recruits who may have previously struggled with a 12-month commitment at the Academy.
From an incentives perspective for the recruits themselves this means there’s less time at which they are paid at a lower rate.
“An extensive evaluation had considered best-practice training methods, with the area subjected to constant review to ensure the best outcomes for the recruits, SAPOL and the wider community,” she said.
“We think this is a good opportunity, once they are operationally ready, to give them that real hands on experience of using their police authorities while under direct supervision.
“At the moment in the 12-month program there are ‘out phases’ where recruits go out into the field as observers, but they don’t have sworn authorities.
“This is about getting people trained to the level where they are ready to be operationally deployed within the community and then giving them the real life operational experience in a controlled environment.
“I think it will be a better system. We believe that this practical experience provided to these recruits at an earlier stage of their training will have benefits for both their own development but ultimately for the wider community they serve.”
Assistant Commissioner Fellows said SA Police were recruiting now for the courses which will begin in 2020.
“We will continue to recruit to our diversity targets of 50 per cent women and 30 per cent youth (people aged under 21) on every course, as well as seeking people from diverse cultures” she said.
“I would encourage anyone who has considered a career in the police to evaluate all we have to offer and apply now.”
For more information about joining SA Police visit our website here.