'Policing is policing': Australian recruiters say they're just making sure Kiwi cops know they have other options
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The Australian police force is coming for New Zealand officers with the lure of more money and housing allowances.
Police recruiters will be in Christchurch and Auckland this month to host jobs and information sessions for the Northern Territory.
First-year constables there earn a salary of $111,000 compared to $83,000 here, the salary quoted on the New Zealand
new cops website
.
After five years in the force that increases to $121,000 in Northern Territory, compared with $91,000 here.
On top of that there is also a housing allowance of up to $34,000 for officers who hop the ditch.
Northern Territory recruitment officer Brett Wilson told Checkpoint they were not trying to steal Kiwi officers, but instead ensure they knew their options.
Wilson said this approach had been around for 10 years, and this year alone they had recruited one squadron of accelerated recruitment programme officers.
"We had one kick off in March that had 21 officers on it, and probably 80 percent of that were from New Zealand."
The accelerated recruitment programme is for experienced police from within Australia as well as New Zealand.
Wilson said in the second intake, coming up in August, they were expecting similar numbers of Kiwi officers to jump the ditch.
Officers that do choose to make the move have to undertake a four-month training programme.
"They do learn obviously the new legislation, firearms and things like that," Wilson said.
"When they are interviewed, they're asked - and they're told that we do carry firearms - and their personal opinion, whether or not they'd be up to carrying a firearm - because for some people it's a big issue."
During these four months of training, officers receive a salary over $70,000.
Wilson said although there were slight differences to the way policing was done in the Northern Territory, most things were the same, with members who had made the shift saying "policing is policing."
"The big issues are domestic violence, youth crime - that's going to be everywhere, and that's what most people are dealing with."
He said it did not feel as though they were taking New Zealand officers, given the size of Northern Territory's police force in comparison to New Zealand's .
"The Northern Territory, we have a police force of about 1600 people compared to you guys who have 10,000-plus."
As for why Kiwi police should be tempted to make the move, Wilson said the lifestyle change was the main thing to consider.
"It is just a lifestyle change… whether people are looking for something different, the Northern Territory is unique."
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