A team of 55 new officers has been welcomed into the Western Australia Police Force by Police Minister Paul Papalia, and newly appointed Commissioner Col Blanch.
Family, friends and loved ones assembled to cheer on the 39 men and 16 women from Blue and Gold Squads, as they graduated from training at the Joondalup academy.
The reinforcement to the ranks marks another milestone in the McGowan Government’s commitment to put more police on WA streets than ever before.
More than 570 people have already joined the blue family through the State Government’s commitment to enlist 950 new officers to the force.
The recruits who celebrated the completion of their intensive 28-week foundation training course come from a range of different backgrounds, with a variety of life experiences.
The youngest graduate was just 20 years old, and the oldest was 55.
Two of the officers are Aboriginal, six originate from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and eight can speak another language.
A number of retiring officers were also honoured, including Deputy Commissioner Gary Dreibergs – whose career with the WA Police spanned 40 years of service.
As stated by Police Minister Paul Papalia:
“Our police force is continuing to attract top-shelf recruits from all walks of life, who are choosing to embark on an exciting and meaningful career keeping our community safe.
“I’m proud of the work our police force does, and I’m looking forward to watching these new recruits thrive under the new Commissioner, Col Blanch.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge retiring Deputy Commissioner Gary Dreibergs, who joined the WA Police in 1982, and has served as Deputy since 2014.
“I would particularly like thank Mr Dreibergs for the significant contribution to the State he made during the COVID-19 emergency. His knowledge and diligence will be missed, and we wish him all the best in his next endeavour.”
