National Police Remembrance Day 29 September 2026 Today, the police family pauses to remember and honour those officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Behind every name is a family, friends and colleagues who carry their loss, and a community that will forever remember their service. This year, that loss feels especially close. In recent days, 20-year-old NSW Police Constable Mia Lay lost her life while on duty in Redfern. Constable Lay had served for just 16 months and was responding to a reported vehicle theft when the police vehicle in which she was travelling crashed. Here in South Australia, we remember the 62 officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and we stand alongside police families across Australia in remembering all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, commemorative services will be held across the country as we reflect on their courage, their service and the lives they left behind. To the families, friends and colleagues of our fallen: we stand with you. To those who continue to serve: we thank you. To those we have lost: we will remember you

"But the fact that it was a child, and the fact that she was just in such poor condition. I needed to stop and actually gather myself and then remember that I had a job to do." Read the latest issue of the Police Journal here: issuu.com/policeassociations…

The Police Association of South Australia (PASA) has secured the terms of a proposed new enterprise agreement delivering major salary increases and extensive improvements to the pay and conditions of SA police. Association president Wade Burns said the agreement represented a generational outcome for police and would significantly strengthen the state’s ability to attract and retain officers into the future. The agreement builds on the Administrative Arrangement secured by PASA in December 2024 and provides for a further four salary increases: -4% from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2027. -4% or the police-specific inter-jurisdictional midpoint if greater, from 1 January 2028. -4% from 1 January 2029. -4% or the police-specific inter-jurisdictional midpoint if greater, from 1 January 2030. Taken together with the salary increases secured through the December 2024 arrangement, police base salaries will increase by a minimum of approximately 28.11 to 31.48 per cent between January 2025 and January 2030, depending on rank and increment, before the separate $3,500 retention payment from the Administrative Arrangement, and any additional benefit that could flow from the midpoint mechanism. But President Burns also said the agreement extended far beyond headline wage increases. “I would regard this as a generational agreement for our members,” he said. “Since I was elected to the role of president, our focus has been on rebuilding the value of a police career and making it a job of choice again — improving remuneration, valuing experience and specialist skills, strengthening regional incentives and delivering conditions that will help attract and retain police into the future. “This agreement delivers across all of those areas.” The package includes a new percentage-based allowance for experienced uniform front-line operational police, substantially improved specialist allowances, a completely redesigned on-call payment model, enhanced regional and remote incentives, improvements to career progression and expanded flexible and extended-hours rostering arrangements. It also delivers a significant package of family and work-life improvements, long-service leave cash-out arrangements, fatigue protections and a range of other employment conditions. The inclusion of Level 3 incentives for Coober Pedy, consistent with the recommendations arising from PASA’s recent advocacy in the South Australian Employment Tribunal, is a particularly significant outcome. President Burns acknowledged the role of the state government in reaching the final outcome. “To the government’s credit, particularly the treasurer, these negotiations were constructive and conducted in good faith,” he said. “They listened to the case we put on behalf of our members and worked with us to reach a very strong outcome that will significantly improve the state’s ability to attract and retain police into the future. “I also believe this government understands the lessons from what has occurred in Victoria and the importance of securing a strong police force into the future.” President Burns said PASA members had been informed of the proposed agreement before its public announcement. “Our members were always going to hear this news from their association first,” he said. “They perform one of the most important jobs in our community and they deserve employment conditions that properly reflect the responsibility, demands and value of the work they perform.” The proposed agreement remains subject to a vote of members and ratification in the South Australian Employment Tribunal.

Police Association president Wade Burns has told the media that yesterday's horrific incident in Elizabeth East is part of a disturbing rise in attacks on police officers. Patrols responded to reports of a man armed with a knife, and during the confrontation that followed, a member was stabbed in the neck and the armed man was shot by another responding officer. President Burns said the association's support remains with the injured member, her patrol partner and other colleagues involved in responding to the incident. "That support is continuing, and we'll stand beside the members involved throughout the investigation, the injured member's recovery and any processes arising from the incident," he said. "I also want to acknowledge the professionalism of investigative and support-service members now undertaking the sensitive, extensive work that follows an incident of this nature. "There were 747 assaults on SA police officers in 2025, and 2026 is already on track to eclipse that figure. "That 2025 figure represents almost double the number of assaults compared to 2021. “Those figures prove the job is harder, the violence is escalating and the risk to our members is increasing. "That reality must be reflected not only in the support and recognition officers receive from the government, but also in the consequences imposed by the courts when offenders violently attack police.”

This is a significant sentence and one that sends a clear message. The Police Association fought hard for stronger laws and tougher penalties for assaults on police, resulting in landmark legislative reforms. This sentence demonstrates the importance of those changes. Police officers deserve to know that those who assault them will face serious consequences. We welcome this result and hope it marks a continued shift towards sentences that properly reflect the gravity of these offences.

"The grab for the gun" Read the latest issue of the Police Journal here: issuu.com/policeassociations…

The police union has slammed a driver accused of leaving an officer for dead after allegedly veering into the path of a patrol car at Munno Para West. The head-on impact was so severe that both vehicles were thrown into a ditch. @edwards_jonno

“Full establishment doesn’t tell the full story”: Political headlines this week claimed that SAPOL is now “at full establishment”. But it’s important to understand what that actually means. Full establishment is not the same thing as saying there are no staffing shortages or operational pressures. Far from it. Recruiting is only one part of the equation. It does not resolve the growing loss of experienced members from the organization, with resignations now sitting at historically high levels as a proportion of all separations. Questions still remain around training, operational support and long-term retention. Meanwhile, serious staffing shortages and industrial disputes continue right across the state, in both regional and metro areas. Members know the reality because they are living it every day with back-to-back shifts, cancelled leave, chronic overtime and ongoing fatigue — realities that highlight how headline establishment figures do not necessarily reflect the number of officers actually available for operational and front-line policing. Police Association president Wade Burns discusses this issue on ABC radio. Listen here: soundcloud.com/user-84103962…

"A police commissioner cannot serve two masters": SA's longest serving attorney-general writes that Grant Stevens' appointment to the Adelaide Football Club board "offends principles of public service ethics". indailysa.com.au/news/opinio…

Today, the Police Association of SA remembers those who served, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Their courage and commitment secured the freedoms we live with today, and no Australian should ever take that for granted. “When you go home, tell them of us and say: for your tomorrow, we gave our today.” -The Kohima Epitaph

Once again, this decision demonstrates that SAPOL is run by an ever-expanding layer of HR bureaucracy and unsworn administrators who now appear to dictate operational policy from the inside out. We are told this blanket ban is necessary because of the Work Health and Safety Act. Interesting. That Act is suddenly invoked with absolute rigidity when it comes to officers bringing an e-scooter near a building — yet it seems to disappear entirely when it comes to the very real safety risks faced by officers working severely understaffed locations like Coober Pedy, where members are expected to operate in circumstances that raise serious safety questions under the very same legislation. If SAPOL executive leadership is truly concerned about workplace safety, perhaps it should start with the immense operational pressures on front-line police, rather than targeting the personal transport choices of its own members. What also continues to erode confidence is the complete lack of accountability in SAPOL’s public communication. When good news appears, the executive leadership team is front and centre. But when a decision receives member or public backlash, it’s suddenly issued by an anonymous “SAPOL spokesperson”. No name, no accountability and no one prepared to stand behind the decision. Front-line police deserve leadership that is visible, accountable and grounded in operational reality — not policies developed in offices far removed from the realities of police work and defended by nameless “spokespeople”. Until SAPOL executive leadership is willing to apply the same Work Health and Safety principles to the safety of its people as it does to a parked scooter, members will continue to question where the organization’s priorities truly lie. — Police Association president Wade Burns

"Members are asking: why would the commissioner and deputy commissioner who produced the DPM and dismissed years of warnings about it, now be tasked with designing the new model?" An independent review into SAPOL's District Policing Model has slammed the current setup as unsustainable amid rising demand, stretched resources and front-line pressures. Police Association president Wade Burns shares his unfiltered take on the model's failures and how SAPOL has responded to the damning findings. Read the full story here: isu.pub/OdsizG4

"If you're not going to jail for glassing a police officer, what are we even doing?" Police Association president Wade Burns talks to FIVEAA's Will and Dave about the recent sentencing outcome following the brutal assault of a police officer after a Ceduna footy grand final in 2024. The member was glassed in the face, suffering serious, permanent facial injuries. President Burns told Will and Dave the judicial system is "out of touch with reality". LISTEN: fiveaa.com.au/podcast/david-…

Coober Pedy and Far North communities continue to face severe and ongoing safety risks posed by chronic understaffing. Just seven officers are currently manning the station, with 10 positions vacant and three officers on health-related leave, meaning some police call-outs cannot be safely attended. FULL STORY: abc.net.au/news/2026-01-22/c…

This Christmas, we extend our thanks to SA police officers, their families and the SA community for your continued support throughout the year. We especially acknowledge those members who will be on duty over the coming days, serving and protecting South Australians while others spend time with loved ones. We wish you a joyful Christmas and a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.

New assistant commissioner John De Candia has today acknowledged that SAPOL’s District Policing Model has delivered “unintended consequences” for both police officers and the South Australian community. Speaking on FIVEAA, AC De Candia admitted that “while things might have looked good on paper, in reality they just haven’t worked". “The members have spoken loud and clear, and they have for quite some time,” he said. “We need to give some ownership back to people on the front line. We’re looking to streamline the model and remove some of the unintended bureaucratic processes.” Police Association president Wade Burns later welcomed the comments, saying it was encouraging to finally hear senior leadership take accountability and flag meaningful change. “This is a change of pace from SAPOL, and it’s a welcome one,” Mr Burns said. “It’s time to move on from a model that everyone now acknowledges has failed, and build something that uses resources efficiently and actually serves the community and South Australians.” 📷 Listen to FIVEAA’s interview with Police Association president Wade Burns, Assistant Commissioner DeCandia and Shadow Police Minister Jack Batty. omny.fm/shows/david-and-will…