Twenty-five new recruits joined ACT Policing at a ceremony at Parliament House on Friday.

The 11 women and 14 men successfully completed their 24-week training course, and will soon serve at one of Canberra’s five police stations.

The recruits have joined ACT Policing from a range of backgrounds, including from working in government policy, providing disaster relief, education, sports coaching, trade, administration, retail sales, and the Australian Defence Force.

One recruit was previously a lifeguard, and another worked in geospatial intelligence.

While a tertiary qualification is not required for policing, the class holds qualifications in a wide range of disciplines, including law, commerce, emergency management, criminology, aviation, science, education, languages, arts, and accounting.

Throughout their training, this cohort also fundraised more than $4,500 for the Queanbeyan PCYC youth charity.

Mick Gentleman, ACT Minister for Police and Crime Prevention, welcomed the 25 new recruits.

“I wish you well as you begin your exciting, challenging and rewarding careers in policing,” Mr Gentleman said.

ACT Policing is currently recruiting for intakes in 2024. For more information, visit the ACT Policing website.​​​​​

“To serve the community is a very noble cause, and our police here in Canberra do a great job each and every day making our community as safe as possible,” Mr Gentleman said.

“As these recruits begin their careers, I am pleased to say the government is significantly boosting ACT Policing.

“An additional $107 million was committed for police in this year’s budget – the biggest single increase for ACT Policing. This will see more than 120 additional officers and support staff join ACT Policing over five years.”