Eleven new police graduates are to start working across the two most northern districts in NSW.
The Tweed/Byron Police District is to welcome seven graduates and the Richmond Police District four.
Further south, six graduates are assigned to the Coffs/Clarence District.
The new officers are part of a cohort of 302 probationary constables graduating from Goulburn Police Academy after a sixteen-week course.
The NSW Police Force says Class 365 represents the largest group of graduates in more than ten years.
It’s also the first class to officially benefit from a new recruitment initiative called Be a Cop in your Home Town, which allows applicants to return and work in the community where they live.
Eight probationary constables are reported as participating in the scheme, including at least one from Lismore.
The force says it has received 3,910 applications since 1 November 2023, or a 70 percent increase, after announcing recruits would be paid to train at the Academy.
The figure includes a 33 reported increase in female applicants.
A new award agreement announced five months ago has reportedly resulted in another 1,444 applications.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley says for many recruits, becoming a police officer wouldn’t be possible without paid study.
‘This landmark recruitment reform has given a diverse new cohort the opportunity to join the best police force in the country and our community is all the richer for it,’ Ms Catley said via media release.
Elite Athlete Recruitment Program
Another new recruitment initiative has been launched, aimed at attracting top-performing athletes to the Force.
The Elite Athlete Recruitment Program is to provide athletes with a flexible, supported pathway into policing while continuing their athletic careers.
Participants are to benefit from flexible work arrangements allowing them to continue to train and compete.
More than 25 athletes from various sports have reportedly been identified as potential applicants, with one probationary constable attesting on Friday to benefit from the new program.
Recruits are to report to stations around the state for twelve months’ on-the-job training starting today.
They are to also study by distance education with Charles Sturt University before officially graduating with an Associate Degree in Policing Practice once they have passed all academic and operation standards.
Six new police dog recruits also graduated on Friday.
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