The Queensland Police Service is undergoing an unprecedented change in an attempt to mend relationships and recruit more officers.
The QPS will now have a secondary assistant commissioner position, which will aim to improve relationships between police and First Nations communities.
The role, yet to be filled, will represent Indigenous Australian officers and staff.
QPS is also changing their approach to overseas and interstate officers (by offering a $20 thousand relocation allowance) and their approach to recruitment.
As part of a new campaign, recruits at Queensland’s police acadamies will receive a cost-of-living allowance.
Recruits will now receive, on top of their pre-existing wage, a $183 allowance per fortnight, lifting their yearly earnings to the equivalent of $52 thousand.
As part of the campaign, all accommodation costs at police academies, as well as application and pre-selection test fees, will be waived.
These are only a few of many changes in an attempt to deliver more than 2,000 extra police personnel.
Police commissioner Katarina Carroll said QPS was a “great organisation to work for”.
“So many of our members spend their entire working life with QPS such is the diversity of work you can undertake,” she said.
“We also continue to focus on applicants with diverse backgrounds and life experience which reflects all of Queensland, therefore applicants living in rural and remote areas have opportunities to go on to serve in the communities they are from.”
