NORTHERN EXPOSURE FOR POLICE RECRUITS

TASMANIA Police hope to attract more recruits from the North and North-West of the state with a new pilot program allowing them to complete their training without having to relocate to the South for the first time.

The new satellite recruit course will begin in April and run parallel to training at the Rokeby Police Academy.

Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar said it was an opportunity to broaden the pool of applicants wanting to joining Tasmania Police.

“We are aiming to attract those people from the Northern and North Western part of Tasmania that in the past may have been hesitant to lodge application with Tasmania Police on the basis of family reasons or personal circumstances may have precluded them from spending the 31 weeks we require at the Tasmania Police Academy,” he said.

Commissioner Bodnar said 20 recruits were expected to complete their training at the Rokeby Police Academy, with another 15 to take part in the program in Launceston.

“Those people who successfully complete their 31-week training course we will then be posting them to either the Northern or North West part of the state and they can spend more time with their families,” he said. Constable Kelly Donaldson completed her training in 2017 and is now based out of George Town.

She said there was strong support at the academy, but being away from her family was challenging.

“Coming home on the weekends is great, but being able to come home at the end of the day and support your family and what they are going through is important.”