South Australia Police (SAPOL) will host its inaugural Mount Gambier regional assessment centre next month, giving Limestone Coast residents better access to a potential career in blue.
From March 12-14, SAPOL will bring information and testing to regional applicants interested in becoming police officers, breaking down barriers of distance and offering all information needed to kick-start their journeys.
The upcoming recruitment drive is targeting applicants across the Limestone Coast including Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Robe, Penola and from across the Victorian border.
Probationary Constable Anja ‘AJ’ Gardsenni from Mount Gambier is a 34-year-old mother of two children who joined SAPOL in July 2022 and has experienced firsthand the barriers faced by regional applicants.
“I had to do my recruitment process through Adelaide and it was for about a week where I did have to take time off work when I was originally working as a nurse in Mount Gambier,” she said.
“Having to take that time off and then having to go up to Adelaide to be able to do all my psychology and physical assessments, it did take a bit of a toll and it was a bit of a financial strain.
“This is just an absolutely brilliant option for country and regional people to be able to have that opportunity to be able to just be in their home town and have all this recruitment process done right at their front door.”
Challenges facing regional applicants were acknowledged by Officer in Charge of the Limestone Coast Local Service Area Superintendent Cheryl Brown.
“No one has to start a completely new life, this is just a different journey within their same life that hopefully they can continue to do down in the Limestone Coast,” she said.
SAPOL People, Culture and Wellbeing Executive Director Kim-Sherie Summers said the local event follows SAPOL’s inaugural regional assessment centre held in Whyalla in December 2023.
“Limestone Coast residents have the same opportunity to ask questions on applying, complete testing and receive information to help them navigate the recruitment process into a rewarding career,” she said.
“South Australian Police are out in full force recruiting as many police officers and security officers as we possibly can with a very big focus on country/regional recruiting.”
There will be TAFE testing at the TAFE SA Mount Gambier Campus on Tuesday, March 12 from 9am-12pm and an information session from 4-5pm where attendees will learn about the application process and training.
On Wednesday, March 13 and Thursday, March 14 interviews will be conducted by SAPOL staff at the TAFE SA Mount Gambier Campus and with fitness testing on the Thursday.
People are encouraged to visit https://sapol.info/Seminar to register their interest in attending at
If successful, applicants may be eligible to a Cost of Living Allowance and may have access to onsite academy accommodation for the duration of their training which is a total of nine months.
