The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Fears of police exodus to Oz
Dozens of Scots have applied to join an Australian police force after it launched an attractive sunshine and seasidethemed recruitment advert – but fears of a mass exodus are being dismissed.
Recruiters abroad have received 40 applications from Scotland as the Western Australia Police Force tries to fill 950 vacancies for frontline officers.
Successful applicants will be paid much more for doing the same job Down Under and are promised a “fast track towards citizenship over time”.
But Scottish Police Federation chairman David Hamilton has warned that “sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side”.
He said: “One colleague who went to Australia was promised sandy beaches and the beach life.
“But they ended up working in a very difficult neighbourhood, policing among a lot of penguins in an almost subarctic environment.”
WAPOL, as it’s colloquially known, is responsible for policing the world’s largest single police jurisdiction and is headquartered in Perth, the state’s capital.
Almost 400 UK applicants, 75% of them in England, have responded to the force’s recruitment drive which is also being run in the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand.
But Mr Hamilton has dismissed fears of a mass exodus of talent from Scotland.
“I don’t think it’s a huge threat”, he said. “I think 40 officers is not a good position but not all of them will go. Experience would suggest that not all of them will stay.
“We see invitations to join other forces abroad periodically but a lot of people who try it decide it’s not for them.
Commenting on the interest the recruitment appeal has sparked so far, he added: “The workforce faces a lot of financial pressures and is very much concerned for their future with the proposed budget cuts.
“Our advice to any officer is to be very careful about what they wish for. Sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side.”
Jamie Greene, justice spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said WAPOL’s attractive employment package should be a warning for Scottish ministers.
He said: “This news
should set alarm bells ringing for (Justice Secretary) Keith Brown and the SNP (Scottish Government).
“Now the SNP run the risk of losing more talented and hardworking officers to the other side of the world as they plan to
impose more terrifying cuts on our police.
However, Justice Secretary Keith Brown said that salaries at Police Scotland have remained competitive.
“The basic starting salary of a constable is higher in Scotland than in England
and Wales – as is the maximum salary,” he said.
“Despite UK Government austerity, we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17 and have invested more than £10 billion in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.”