BRISBANE, Queensland, Sept. 18 -- The Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet issued text of the following statement:

Minister for Police and Emergency Services

The Honourable Dan Purdie

* 30 experienced police officers have graduated from the Queensland Police Service and will return to frontline duties across Queensland, as part of the Crisafulli Government's commitment to restore safety where you live. * The graduates bring valuable policing experience to communities from Cairns andMackay to Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich. * More than 2,100 police have now been sworn in since theCrisafulli Government came to office, with victim numbers down 9.6 per cent. * TheCrisafulli Government is making Queensland safer with stronger laws, more police, early intervention and rehabilitation after Labor's Youth Crime Crisis.

The Crisafulli Government is making Queensland safer and bringing 30 experienced police officers back to Queensland's frontline, with graduates of the Queensland Police Service's Police Abridged Competency Education (PACE) Program ready to return to operational duties.

The latest cohort brings previous policing experience and a range of professional skills to the QPS, allowing them to return to frontline duties through the accelerated 20-week PACE program.

The graduates include officers with experience across policing, senior management, regulation, insurance investigation and physiotherapy.

Their experience will now be put straight back to work in communities across the state, with the newest police heading to stations in Brisbane, Mackay, Cairns, Logan, Ipswich, Bundaberg, Gympie and surrounding areas.

Last night's graduation takes the number of police sworn in since the October 2024 election to 2,128, as the Crisafulli Government continues its major rebuild of the Queensland Police Service to restore safety where you live after a decade of decline under Labor.

The frontline rebuild is delivering results, with the number of victims of crime in Queensland now 9.6 per cent lower than in the 2023-24 financial year.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Dan Purdie said the graduates would make Queensland safer and bring valuable experience back to the frontline.

"These 30 officers have already served as police, and now they are putting the uniform back on and getting back to the job of restoring safety where you live," Minister Purdie said.

"After a decade of decline under Labor, we are rebuilding the QPS and putting more boots on the ground where they are needed most - more than 2,100 police have now been sworn in since the Crisafulli Government came to office.

"We know there is more work to do, but victim numbers are down 9.6 per cent and we are turning the tide on crime."

Acting Queensland Police Commissioner Brett Pointing said the PACE Program provided an important pathway for experienced officers to return to policing.

"It is with great pride that I welcome these 30 experienced officers to the Queensland Police Service; their valuable skills and diverse perspectives will strengthen our frontline and support the safety of communities across the state," Acting Commissioner Pointing said.

"These officers have embraced the transition to the Queensland Police Service with professionalism and commitment.

"Policing is ultimately about people, and these officers understand the importance of building trust, supporting victims and keeping communities safe."

The newest police will soon begin serving in communities across Queensland, including:

* 3 to North Brisbane * 5 to South Brisbane * 5 toMackay Whitsunday * 4 to Far North * 5 toMoreton * 2 to Wide Bay Burnett * 5 to Logan * 1 to Ipswich

The Crisafulli Government continues to invest a record $7.2 billion into Making Queensland Safer, including recruiting more police, delivering new stations and police facilities, providing modern equipment and rolling out stronger laws to support frontline officers.

ENDS



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