The Academy was originally situated in Redfern, but space was an issue so was removed to Goulburn to what was originally a teachers’ college and has grown hugely since it started here in 1986. There are 20 accommodation blocks, 30 motel room style accommodation, and a 200 room demountable complex. The academy can accommodate 856 people. Pre COVID the academy was full most of the time.
It is preferred that students live on site, but a few live off site for reasons such as childcare. Training is conducted onsite for recruits and all advanced policing courses.
Intakes for new recruits are regular – 6 per year – every 8 weeks they start a new course and attest a course. At any one time there are 4 training courses going. Some of the training is at home and some on campus. The academy partners with Charles Sturt University and uses technology widely in training programs which makes it easier for students to study the initial parts of the course and then go to the academy to finish their course. The initial training program is 32 weeks. A student will start at home online and 32 weeks later will attest to finishing their initial training course as a sworn officer. There is another 12 months of study after this for the Associate Degree in Policing Practises (ADPP). At this time, they are Probationary Constables studying and working to finish their course.
No ATAR is required to get into the course. Applicants are required to do a course through the University – The University Certificate of Workforce Essentials (UCWE), an 8 week online program and pass it to be accepted into the policing course. Other requirements of fitness and operational safety are taught at the Academy. Most graduate police officers need to do 3 years on the front line before they can specialise in an area of policing. There is a broad range of career options for graduates.
2020 has been a year of many challenges, starting with the bushfires. Staff from the academy were deployed to the south coast to assist with bushfires. Then COVID hit and 3 classes were sent home and training was developed online with Charles Sturt University. They frontloaded the program with all the academic content Recruits then return to the academy for the last 8 weeks, to finish off all the physical and policing training they cannot do at home.
By recruits remaining on campus at all times, they have been able to maintain a safe workplace. Recruits range from high school graduates to older adults in their 40s and 50s. There are around 30% female recruits, indigenous recruits, around 12% born overseas and a wide range of academic trade and skill sets. The great diversity of backgrounds makes the mix much stronger.
The online training has been embraced by the academy as the way of the future and has shown to have benefits with the quality of the students they are getting. Students generally thrive and love the challenges of the training and very few recruits fail the course.
Goulburn citizens have welcomed the academy and it has a great relationship with the community and the council and they support each other. The academy is always working to widen the gender and culture ratio to improve relationships with the communities. The academy will be putting through over a thousand people a year – around 200 people in each class. Policing is a secure career, there is no real age limit, the entitlements are excellent, the pay is good, and there is a lot of incentive for people to join the organisation.
Last week the treasurer announced a 60 million dollar refurbishment for the academy, to be done over the next 3 years to upgrade the facilities to keep it state of the art, as the biggest and most advanced police academy in the country. Exciting times ahead!
