On this day in 1994, the Australian Federal Police greeted its 18 recruits with its usual welcome package of 100 push-ups, some 100m sprints and squad training.
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Among the 18 recruits, there were 12 men and 6 women who were a part of the latest generation in the police force. What sets this group apart is their distinction as the first graduates from law enforcement courses at Australian universities and the first intake by the AFP in over two years.
Their inauguration into the AFP was marked by a ceremonious parade before the outgoing commissioner, Peter McAulay, who has dedicated 43 years to policing. After the parade, they would start their 26-week training at Weston Creek complex, before fully joining the ACT police force.
Rachel Benthien and Megan Curtain from Edith Cowan University and Monash University, respectively, said they had "cut their teeth" on the course. They did not mind working for the ACT police for a few years despite having a keen interest in investigations.
They did not baulk at the intense physical training and relished working as a team, Ms Curtain stating "we were told you are only as strong as your weakest member". This was just the start as about 96 more recruits in that year had joined the university courses and would begin training after completion. This was a significant improvement in police recruitment after nearly two years without recruits.
McAulay explained "the rate (of recruitment] dropped to practically nothing, and far from worrying about how to recruit we were worrying about making people redundant". Although there were more men than women in that batch, there were actually more women taking the university course, indicating an increased interest in the law enforcement courses.
At the time, the police had been facing shortages among other issues in Australia. There were issues not only with recruitment but also retention. There had been similar issues within the ACT, as the ACT police had attempted to boost numbers by 25 each for the next five years through a funding boost.
