Victoria Police Diversity Recruitment Program
The Victoria Police Diversity Recruitment Program addresses barriers to recruitment and bridge to employment pathways in Victoria Police for underrepresented culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and Aboriginal communities.
About the program
The Victoria Police Diversity Recruitment Program addresses barriers to recruitment and bridge to employment pathways in Victoria Police for underrepresented culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and Aboriginal communities.
The program contributes to a culturally inclusive police force that better represents the community it serves and improves rapport and trust between Victoria Police and these communities.
For the police force to be effective, it must truly reflect all parts of the community which it serves.
- Superintendent Mark Porter
As of December 2019, Victoria Police had over 21,399 members. Fewer than two in every 1000 police officers come from non-English–speaking African communities.
This program – the only one of its kind in Australia – is proactively addressing this imbalance.
Read the latest community update (PDF, 1.5 MB) (September 2022).
Success & benefits
The program builds on a pilot funded by Jobs Victoria in 2018-21, focused on recruitment pathways for African Australians.
The pilot Victoria Police Diversity Recruitment Program (structured around the Course in Policing Recruitment Pathways) targeted African Australian recruits.
As of August 2021, this program demonstrated significant success and benefits:
- 112 participants completed the program
- 34% passed the entrance exam
- 30% are employed with VicPol or in recruitment process (of 12% general applicants)
- 60 program applicants were referred or supported into alternative pathways (e.g. custodial and enforcement fields, JobActives, foundation courses, professional health care support)
- 13 applicants secured alternative employment in the Army reserve, Border Force and TransDev
- 70 Victoria Police members were assigned to mentor participants
- the program allowed for knowledge/aptitude and cultural awareness transfers between VicPol and participants
- there was active engagement with Victoria Police through industry-led visits to:
- local police stations
- the Police Academy
- Mounted Police
- Police Launch.
In 2022, the program was a finalist in the Engagement Australia Excellence Awards.
Strong industry partnerships
The program was initiated when VU was approached by Africause to join with Victoria Police and other organisations, including:
- Jesuit Social Services
- AMES Australia
- Maurice Blackburn Lawyers
- Matchworks.
It aims to find ways of addressing the identified problem of the barriers to recruitment of under-represented communities to Victoria Police.
There are specific barriers that disadvantage these groups for entry into employment generally, and Victoria Police in particular. The barriers include language and numeracy skills, affordability, different cultural understandings, fitness and swimming capability.
The objective of this program is to build the skills and attributes of potential recruits, to increase the proportion of people from African, refugee and other under-represented backgrounds in Victoria Police.
Participation & results
The first six rounds of the Victoria Police Diversity Recruitment Program were held at Footscray Park Campus and targeted the African-Australian cohort.
Subsequent rounds are scheduled around Victoria. Upcoming recruitment will support culturally and linguistically diverse applicants, thereby creating a stronger and more diverse emergency services force.
