IT’S A LONG way from an Irish policing beat but Australia could see an influx of emigrant gardaí as a recruitment campaign begins. 

Western Australia Police Force (WA Police), headquartered in the city of Perth, has launched a major campaign to recruit guards to their ranks.

It is the second time WA Police has sent out a call for qualified members of An Garda Síochána to entice them down under. 

The previous campaign ran from the mid-2000s and into the early-2010s and saw a number of guards relinquish their policing powers here to head to the western reaches of the sun-kissed continent. 

Those recruits also featured in an RTE documentary Garda Down Under about their experiences in 2015. At that time, it was reported that 30 gardaí had taken up the offer.  

In recent months, the problems of a new proposed roster in An Garda Síochána has put the focus squarely on working conditions in the organisation. 

Sources have said that a senior official in the Garda Representative Association has compiled data which shows poor retention of gardaí in the force. 

Those concerns could get worse as the Western Australian (WA) state now seeks to attract them to the Aussie beat with a recruitment campaign focused on sun, sea and benefits of service.   

The issues faced by the Garda organisation also appear to blight the Western Australian force, however, with local police union representative Mick Kelly telling Channel Nine news in July that record numbers of police were leaving. 

In the last financial year, 340 police officers left the service, with 60 departing the job in June alone.

“Our people have said enough’s enough, my mental health and family relationships are breaking down,” Mick Kelly from the WA Police Union told the news channel.

There is also Police Union involvement in ongoing pay dispute protests in Australia.

A new Labour Agreement in WA has enabled the State to recruit “skilled police officers from the United Kingdom and Ireland” over the next five years under the Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186) visa.

This enables their transition into WAPOL and places them on a pathway to citizenship.

Pay

Gardaí who leave their jobs here to policing in Western Australia will be looking at a basic rate of pay of $84,003 (€57,566) with five years service. The equivalent here for the same service for post-2013 qualified guards is €45,375 with the new pay agreement included.

Benefits include six weeks leave along with a host of other enticements including free housing for some policing posts, free fitness facilities and “supports for families”.  

Western Australia Police Minister Paul Papalia said that the recruitment of the police here was part of a major plan to increase the numbers of officers across the huge region, which is the world’s biggest policing jurisdiction.  

“WA is a great place to live and our Western Australian Police Force is a fantastic place to work. Whether you are young and single or have a family, to those overseas officers applying to come and work here in the WA sunshine, you will not regret the move,” he said.

The gardaí would go through an accelerated training before hitting the beat in the State with city based policing opportunities as well as work-rural regions. 

The transition from the Irish criminal legal system will not be too challenging for gardaí as Australia has the same Common Law regime of courts as Ireland. 

Gardaí compatible 

Col Blanch, WA Police Commissioner said that the methods and policing style of gardaí is similar to that used by his officers. 

“As Commissioner of the Western Australia Police Force, I acknowledge the work of both the Federal and State Governments in enabling this Labour Agreement.

“Policing styles in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand are quite compatible with ours, and transition programmes have previously worked in our favour.

“My message to officers working in those countries is simple. We want skilled, experienced constables to work on the frontline to help us cover the biggest policing jurisdiction in the world.

“If you have at least three years’ experience in your Police Force and you are under 55 years of age, we want to hear from you,” he said. 

The issues of a deficit in garda morale has been highlighted in two internal garda cultural audits. 

A study released by the garda organisation in September revealed that serving gardaí said their emotional energy was at a moderately low average and there is a perceived lack of organisational fairness and justice.

It found that work-related demands that constrain performance are highest at garda and sergeant ranks.

Gardaí also said that their appreciation for how much the organisation values an individual’s contribution was below average.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that the cultural audit was “highly informative” for both garda management and the Commission on the Future of Policing.

“However, it also makes clear that the organisation has more work to do to give our people the support and tools they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively, to ensure people feel they are treated fairly, and they are being supported in their very challenging and pressurised work,” he added.  

Gardaí are not the only sector being targeted by Australia as there has been a 44% increase in the number of Irish doctors granted visa applications to work in Australia since 2018.

That comes as experts and medical professionals criticised poor working conditions in the Irish healthcare system.