Police force recruitment drive fights to fill never-before-seen shortages

With a rising crime rate and a critical shortage of police on the beat, forces across the country are rolling out the welcome mat to entice more people to sign up. 

At the Victoria Police Academy, recruits are learning how to take down offenders, as it seeks to fill 1000 vacant positions.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Tim Hansen said shortages were causing some stations to close their front counters to allow police to respond to emergencies out in the community.

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"We're starting to see some hot spots of vacancies turning up in country policing that we've never seen before," Hansen said.

Victoria Police is trying to poach interstate recruits for its 31-week paid course. 

"We want to be able to service every call for assistance, we want to make the community safe," Hansen said.

"We've got a whole lot of programs we like to deliver the community with our partners, a lot of those programs are hard to deliver - community engagement programs when you're short on numbers."

It's a similar story nationally, with a thinning blue line.

NSW Police says it's understaffed by 2500 officers, while 741 new officers are needed in Queensland through to the 2027 financial year.

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