New police officers will be recruited next month in an effort to boost the state’s frontline.
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It will be the first of two courses this year with a second intake expected in September, followed by courses in April and July next year and three further intakes in 2020 and 2021.
The additional courses are part of a state government promise to employ 125 extra police officers.
The Police Association of Tasmania has welcomed the recruitment promise, but will specifically push for more officers in the North.
“The association would particularly like to see a significant increase in numbers in the North, and areas of the South from these two new intakes this year,” vice president Gavin Cashion said.
It comes after the association called for “urgent recruiting” last month after claims of a staff shortage at Launceston Police Station.
But Deputy Commissioner Scott Tilyard said it “was an easy claim to make without evidence to back it up”.
He described the incident as a “small shortage of people on a particular shift on one particular day”.
“There wasn’t significant resourcing issues in Launceston at that time,” he said.
“I was in Launceston last week and I met with staff and that’s not what they are telling me.
“In fact, Launceston and the entire Northern policing district is performing very well at the moment and that’s not indicative of an area that has morale problems.”
Deputy Commissioner Tilyard said Tasmania Police was conducting a capability review, which would determine where the additional officers would be needed.
“One of the things we implemented about 18 months ago was an operational response policy,” he said.
“That was about having a more risk-based approach to incidents that our officers attend and in many instances if there are risk factors we will deploy additional police officers … so at least two police officers to a particular incident.”
Police Minister Michael Ferguson said the push to recruit more officers was part of an overall plan to make Tasmania the “safest state in the nation”.
The state government is also aiming to have the lowest serious crime rate across all victimisation measures by 2022.
