As ACT Policing embarks on a new recruitment round, Canberra still has the lowest number of operational police staff than all other jurisdictions – 219 per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 284 (2020-21). In 2021-22, this dropped to 205 operational police per 100,000.

As the ACT’s population soars towards a projected 784,000 by 2060, the Australian Federal Police Association says the shortfall is “concerning”.

“ACT Policing requires an additional 300 appointees on today’s numbers to meet the shortfall,“ AFP President Alex Caruana said. “These 300 additional appointees would be made of predominantly sworn officers, with a small percentage being unsworn staff such as intelligence analysts and corporate appointees to support frontline officers.”

An ACT Policing spokesperson said ACT Policing is “currently fully staffed based on current ACT Government funding levels”.

The ACT Government’s expenditure on policing, however, is significantly less than the national average – $444 a year per person compared with the national figure of $549.50 (in 2020-2021).

So far in 2023, ACT Policing has welcomed 50 new recruits but an ACT Policing spokesperson said “we are always looking for more”.

“ACT Policing is also continuing discussions with the ACT Government to ensure we have the right police numbers to meet the needs of our growing population and the complex nature of modern policing,” the spokesperson said.

The AFP Association claims ACT Policing “rapidly need more resources”.

“A recent report conducted by former NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, indicated ACT Policing need approximately 100 more staff ASAP and recommends more staff in the years to follow,” Mr Caruana said. “It’s concerning that the ACT Government relies on crime statistics to justify the low numbers of sworn police officers in the ACT.

“Our view is that it’s a welfare, workload and safety issue. Members are informing us that they are tired; carry heavy workloads; and are concerned for their mental well-being, safety and the safety of their colleagues. We also know that members aren’t taking their total allocation of leave entitlements as they worry about leaving their colleagues and squads shorthanded.”

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