Tasmania Police has welcomed six new 'excited' constables into its ranks in Launceston, and an inspector has said they are continuing to seek more diversity in its force.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The influx marks the highest number of police officers Tasmania has ever had - 1,480 - and will be followed by another 77 recruits currently in training.
Four additional courses are set to begin later this year.
Inspector Craig Fox said, "It's exciting to get new graduates from the academy at any time, and Launceston is one of the more extensive training stations in the state.
"It's also exciting because it allows us to deploy them immediately into the field.
"You might see them on the streets walking the beat, you might see them because you might get pulled over, you might see them at a job that you've requested police for," Inspector Fox said.
The inspector said having the extra recruits benefits him personally, running a big division, and the Launceston community by making more uniformed police visible on the streets.
Inspector Fox mentioned that Tasmania Police have a strong recruiting programme at the moment, putting more trainees through the police academy both in Hobart and the course they have operating out of UTS in Launceston.
"So we're getting record numbers of applicants, which is really exciting because we can get graduating members to all the major districts probably every two or three months rather than having to wait probably four or five months for a graduating course," Inspector Fox said.
He said Tasmania Police also have 15 recruits in the northern recruit course, and they graduate at the end of July.
"So over the next three or four months, we were expecting to see some excellent numbers coming to the Launceston area, which would be great for the community," he said.
Diversity wanted
So, what qualities do Tasmania Police look for when recruiting new police officers?
"We are after diversity, so we want people of different thought processes, backgrounds, genders, and identities to apply.
"We're representatives of the Tasmanian community, and we know that there is a broad range of different personalities, people, and cultures in Tasmania. So we want the police force to reflect that.
"So if we can get the most diverse applicants to apply for the police, then that is such a great benefit to the community in the long run," Inspector Fox said.
Constable Paige Anderson from Launceston said, "I'm definitely excited. It is something I've wanted to do for a while, so I can't wait to get started."
"I've wanted to help the community and do something that maybe made a difference in someone else's life, and the opportunities in Tas Police interest me," Constable Anderson said.
Useful information
Anyone interested in applying to become a police officer can apply via the Tasmania Police's website.
Several information sessions are also offered in various districts.
More information about those sessions is listed on the Tasmania Police website.