Today sees 24 police cadets of Course 59 graduate from the South Australia Police Academy.
The graduates of Course 59 range in age from 19 to 37 and come from a vast range of working backgrounds. Some of the graduates have been exposed to policing previously with four working in the role of Police Security Officers, two working as phone operators in the Police call centre and also a former New Zealand police officer.
They will be posted to a number of metropolitan areas, as well as regional local service areas across the state.
One of the graduates is Daniel who has worked in hospitality including on the Ghan and Indian Pacific. He has a strong focus on health and fitness which gave him the confidence to apply for SAPOL. His tenacity paid off when after three attempts, he was eventually accepted.
“I always knew I wanted to have a career within SAPOL and play a purposeful role in the community,” Daniel said.
“The recruit process was hard, however learning all the different aspects of policing at the Academy was even more challenging. It’s all worth it in the end and making life-long friends is a bonus.”
Teagan worked as a Community Corrections Officer in Queensland before making the move to Adelaide and signing up as a police recruit. She found the firearms component of the training quite challenging but also rewarding. Her advice to potential recruits is to organise your fitness first to help you through the Academy, and then develop a weekly study and fitness plan. She is interested in working in Crime Scene Investigation in the future.
Natasha moved to Australia from Canada in 2019 where both of her parents worked for the UN. She said that the job variety within SAPOL really attracted her to the job. “As a young person I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but in SAPOL there is lot of room and opportunity to explore different job roles,” Natasha said.
As for the Academy experience she said, “Getting into a routine was challenging, finding the best schedule that allowed me to work on my fitness, study for exams, complete assignments and have a functioning home life was pretty tricky. But after I figured it out, I got into a really good routine that minimised my stress levels a lot.”
Natasha found her course mates a great support system to help with study, fitness and achieving her goals.
SAPOL is currently recruiting. If you’re looking for job security, career progression pathways and a chance to make a real difference in local communities please visit
