We love graduation day ❤

This Valentine’s Day, six male PSOs graduated from SAPOL’s academy, and each share a love for the community.

Ranging in age from 19 to 40 years, today’s graduates from PSO Qualification Program 5 all belong in blue and are the perfect match for the role.

PSOs work towards better metropolitan security, and support SAPOL’s frontline services by performing specific duties, including guarding and transportation of police detainees, patrolling key locations, guarding government buildings, or assisting at events.

Some graduates have followed their hearts from regional areas including Port Elliot and Myponga. Others bring diverse former work experience from banking, retail, production, and the electrical trade industry.

Bailey’s desire to help people led to this new career path after working in retail and finishing school.

“I was attracted to the role of a PSO for the opportunity to work in a diverse team environment and to help keep our communities safer,” he said.

“I found settling into the academy lifestyle to be quite easy because I had not long finished school and play multiple sports, so I found this helped me in the study and fitness side of my training.

“I believe that since joining the academy I have become a much better communicator and have developed a lot more initiative.”

Fellow graduate Jesse’s love story with SAPOL began when he was working for the Police Credit Union.

“Here I had daily interactions with current serving and retired police officers. This contact spurred my decision to apply for this job,” he said.

“I have been exposed to policing all my life as my father has been a long-serving police officer. Aside from that I currently play mixed social netball and grew up playing club basketball which ingrained a team-oriented approach in me.

“I also have a strong focus on self-development which is shown through my hobbies of teaching myself to play guitar and learning Japanese.”

Bailey and Jesse have loved getting to know their course mates and forming lifelong friendships.

“I found that being close with my course mates made my time here at the academy fly by through our friendly banter and support of each other,” Bailey said.

“We are quite lucky in the fact that we are such a small group. Since day one I think we have been really getting to know each other and have become quite a tightknit collective,” Jesse added.

“We get around each other at every step of the way and help anyone out that is struggling. I truly believe I have made lifelong friends in these guys.”

To one day become a police officer is at the heart of both Bailey and Jesse’s future ambitions.

“In the long term I hope to one day come back to the academy as a cadet because throughout SAPOL there are many different career paths to go down that will serve you for your entire working future,” Bailey said.

“For now, I’m excited to get out on the job as a full-fledged PSO and experience all that has to offer. I’ve always had a dream of becoming a detective however, so in the future there is possibility of me coming back as a police cadet to work towards that goal,” Jesse added.

All of today’s graduates will be posted to the Physical Security Section (PSS).

If you're looking for job security, career progression pathways and a chance to make a real difference in local communities visit Achievemore - Join Us (police.sa.gov.au)

It’s a love story…. maybe just say ‘yes’!

Jesse and Bailey are among six new Police Security Officers to graduate today from the South Australia Police Academy.