South Australia Police seal $35m deal in South Australia Budget Police officers walk the beat in Rundle Mall. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: adelaidenow THE police budget stand-off is over with the State Government agreeing to a $35 million cash injection to ensure promised recruiting targets are met. The deal, which also sees SAPOL's budget savings target reduced, will enable Police Commissioner Gary Burns to recruit to attrition and hire an additional 50 officers next financial year to boost frontline services. The remaining 134 additional police required to meet the government's 2010 Recruit 313 election pledge will now be recruited between the 2014/15 to 2017/18 financial years - blowing out the original timeline by four years. The threatened closure of up to six suburban stations because of the budget crisis has also been averted under the deal. In February, Mr Burns ignited the budgetary firestorm by revealing his budget needed to be cut by more than $150 million over four years to meet savings targets, and that promised recruiting of an additional 184 officers was in jeopardy. Since then there have been intense negotiations between the Police Association, Premier and Treasurer Jay Weatherill and Mr Burns to ensure the Recruit 313 promise was kept and that key frontline police services were not affected. Mr Weatherill said the budget deal "represents a constructive way through what was a difficult issue." "I'm pleased with what we've been able to achieve with some sensible discussions," he said. It reflects our priorities. We have set out community safety as a key priority for us. We've asked SAPOL to continue to make a contribution to the overall savings task, but it can't be at the expense of community safety. They're still obliged to make those savings, they are going to confine them to non-operational areas. Police Association president Mark Carroll yesterday said it was "crucial" that promised recruiting above attrition be maintained. "While disappointed the original commitment to recruit an extra 313 by 2014 will not be met, we are encouraged an additional 50 police above attrition will be recruited before the state election," he said. The majority of those officers will be allocated to frontline policing. Mr Burns yesterday said he had been "able to have a frank and open dialogue" over SAPOL's position. "We certainly felt we had been heard," he said. It was then a matter for the Premier to take SAPOL's views and weigh those against the many competing budget priorities that face government. A crucial part of the deal, forcefully pushed by the police union, will see a new policy under which 80 of the additional 134 recruits will be younger - 18 to 20 years old - and culturally diverse. The initial 50 extra police will be deployed in frontline roles across the State, in a new Internet Child Exploitation team and in the unit monitoring convicted sex offenders. A new Neighbourhood Policing team will be created at Holden Hill and a Vulnerable Victims Unit will be established. Mr Carroll welcomed a commitment that 80 of the additional recruits will be under the new youth and culturally diverse program. Under the plan, to begin on July 1, 2014, the recruits will complete a 52-week course instead of the existing 29-week course. They will need to have completed Year 12 or have at least three years employment. "For many years the association has lobbied both the government and SAPOL to target young South Australians as part of their recruiting drive," he said. SAPOL, like all police forces around Australia, has been well served over many years by investing in youth. Our former and present commissioners were both recruited as 16 and 17-year-olds. SA mums and dads will also be encouraged by this, with many sharing the disappointment of their children who have been denied a police career in recent years because they were not considered old enough.