The organisation representing police unions across the country says officers and the community will be at risk if a recruitment crisis isn't addressed soon.
"We're in a crisis situation at this point in time," said Ian Leavers, president of the Queensland Police Union and the Police Federation of Australia.
"It is a real challenge, not only recruiting but in the retention of police across Australia.
"We are putting the police officers who are left at risk. And we are putting the community at risk."
His comments come as many states and territories are facing increased attrition rates and significant vacancies.
Western Australia currently has 59 vacancies, South Australia currently has 217 vacancies, and Victoria has 800.
WA and Victoria are also trying to recruit hundreds more police promised by their state governments.
New South Wales and Queensland Police did not provide figures on police vacancies, but Queensland is trying to boost its numbers by another 1,450 officers.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said her state's police officer attrition rate had gone from 2.8 per cent in 2016-17 to 5.6 per cent.
"Talking to my other colleagues around the country, we're all experiencing challenges in terms of recruiting," she said.
"In the current labour market, there are many opportunities for people, so we see many more people taking those opportunities where in the past, they probably wouldn't have."
Recruitment challenges
Mr Leavers agreed the low unemployment rate was making recruitment difficult, but said there were other factors at play, including public perceptions of police in some states since they had to enforce COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.
"As police, we just have to do as we're told and enforce the legislation and do what is required for community safety," he said.
"But as a result of that, there was a significant toll upon police and how police were perceived."
Commissioner Carroll said public perception of police during COVID had varied from state to state.
"We did not experience, like a lot of other states or countries, that view of policing through COVID, where I know in some jurisdictions ... there was quite an adverse reaction to police because of their role in COVID."
Police departments are also competing with the Australian Defence Force for recruits.
Mr Leavers believes the stress and trauma that comes with policing may be driving officers away.
"Often by the time [police officers] exit the organisation, they are not as physically fit, and they are psychologically damaged," he said.
"And that is a real problem we have in policing."
Culture and mental health
Former NSW Police sergeant Pia Schindler said she was not surprised officers were leaving in droves.
"I think a lot of the young ones that are joining and leaving then pretty much straightaway are kind of going, 'This job wasn't what the brochure said it was going to be," she told 7.30.
"Then you also have those people that are my vintage, that have almost 20 years' service, that are going, 'I've served in this job for so long; my family life is struggling, my personal life is struggling'."
Ms Schindler was medically discharged in 2019 for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and believes she could still be serving if she had sought help earlier on.
"I recall one incident that I went to that was horrifying and I bit my tongue so bad, it was bleeding … purely because I didn't want to show emotion," she said.
"That culture, surrounded by your peers, I didn't want to show them that I was upset by that and I don't understand, looking back now, why that's the case."
Ms Schindler and her friend, former police officer Alana Singleton, created a charity to address mental illness in the police force as well as other emergency services.
"We don't want anyone to feel alone throughout the PTSD journey," Ms Schindler said.
They hope it will provide the needed support and skills for others to identify PTSD earlier, allowing them to stay in the job.
All states and territories acknowledged PTSD was an issue facing police and said they were boosting mental health support.
Mr Leavers said shortages were impacting those police officers still serving.
"The police that are left behind — it is fatigue, it is burnout," he said.
"What we are seeing is, at times, police may very well take shortcuts knowing they have another domestic violence incident they have to attend to, there may be a motor vehicle crash or other public safety issues that they have to attend to.
"So they're trying to cut corners so they can try and be everything to everyone."
Recruitment strategies
Queensland and WA are looking overseas to fill the gaps, with recruitment campaigns targeting qualified officers in countries with similar policing models and legislation, such as the UK and Canada, and a promise of fast-tracked training and pathways to permanent residency.
WA has received more than 1,100 applications and Commissioner Carroll said Queensland had received more than 300.
"Within moments of making that announcement — and we haven't done any advertising at all in those countries — we had hundreds and hundreds of people applying or asking about it," she said.
"I think it will really increase the pipeline into the future."
Queensland has a legislated police retirement age of 60, but Commissioner Carroll said recent legislative changes allowed retired officers to come back as special constables without taking a hit to their superannuation.
"We've had 60 people already apply to come back that have left in the last 12 months or so, but we know that number will increase exponentially over the next few weeks."
South Australia Police is targeting community football games in what they say is a way to diversify the pool of applicants, appealing to people that wouldn't have traditionally signed up.
They are also relaxing dress code rules on visible tattoos and have removed gender restrictions on long hair.
Despite losing seven police officers per month to resignation or retirement in 2022, compared with two per month in 2018, Tasmania Police has seen its largest recruitment intake to date and does not have a police shortage.
Lauren Hay is one of 77 new police recruits set to graduate in September.
"I really enjoy the idea of the diversity of a career in policing," she told 7.30.
"The unlimited opportunities [are] really enticing. You don't know what you're going to get every day, it makes work a lot more exciting."
Ms Hay says her eyes are open to the risks of trauma and PTSD, but she's still looking forward to her career ahead.
"Coming into a policing career, personally I do know that is a risk," she said.
"But it's something that Tasmania Police has identified and something that they are combating as well.
"Personally, I think it's a long-term career for myself."
Attraction and retention
The Police Federation of Australia said while recruitment strategies were important, more needed to be done federally to make policing more attractive.
Mr Leavers suggested taxation benefits, waiving of further education debts and incentives for working in remote areas could be used to attract and retain police.
"We've just got to think outside the square," he said.
The federation is calling for a national summit of police commissioners and federal ministers on the issue.
A spokesman for federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the government had established the Police Ministers Council for coordination on matters of interest across jurisdictions.
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