Local training for police recruits

A Gippsland Regional Training Program for Victoria Police has been announced by the State Government.

Police recruitment and training locally will enable Victoria Police to fill vacancies faster, strengthen the regional workforce and improve retention.

Recruits will undergo the same 25-week training, entry standards and assessments as everyone else.

The program will be run from a number of training facilities across Gippsland, not a single centre.

Graduates will be deployed directly to regional stations – delivering an immediate frontline boost.

The Gippsland program builds on the new Mildura Regional Training Program and is part of Victoria Police's plan to deliver more officers on the streets.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the government was putting more police in regional areas and training them where they lived – to get them out on the street faster.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said "training police closer to home means starting their careers serving the communities they know best."
But, Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath said the Gippsland recruitment program was election year spin that would not fix years of police shortages and recruitment challenges.
"Victoria Police workforce shortages were evident in 2022 - there were more than 1000 vacancies then, and that number has now grown to around 1500," Ms Bath said.
"After years of inaction, to make this announcement mere months before a state election and in the midst of a crime crisis is too little too late.
"We're not opposed to a Gippsland police training centre – but Labor has failed to address the blockages plaguing the recruitment and onboarding of suitable Victorian police applicants," she said.
Ms Bath said the Liberal and Nationals' Safer Communities Plan clearly outlined how the Coalition would deliver 3000 additional police officers, 200 new Protective Services Officers, and a one-strike bail rule for offenders who commit offences while on bail.