Last October, the New South Wales Government announced that police recruits would be paid to study at Goulburn Police Academy. This saw 1235 new applications - an increase of 26 per cent of people wanting to train to join NSW Police.

In December, the first cohort of probationary constables who were paid to train were sworn into the NSW Police Force.

Officers then began 12 months on the job training as a probationary constable.

In the Western region, we saw 13 new recruits hit the ground.

At the time, Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said she wished every one of the 179 Attesting Officers a long, rich and rewarding career in the NSW Police Force.

“Each of these officers have displayed an unwavering commitment to make a difference to the people of NSW. Our state and the policing family is all the richer for it,” she said.

On the back of this success, two new programs have just been announced, specifically aimed at attracting both experienced officers and regional recruits to the NSW Police Force.

To attract experienced officers, the government will launch a Professional Mobility Program (PMP) that will incentivise officers from other Australian states and territories and New Zealand to join the NSWPF while keeping their equivalent rank (up to senior constable level six). 

Previously, serving police officers who wanted to join the NSWPF needed to complete eight months study including four months in-person at the Goulburn Academy before graduating at the starting rank of Probationary Constable. 

Successful applicants will now undergo a three-month course at the Police Academy in Goulburn focused on NSW policing policies and procedures.

They will be paid in-line with the current payment for Student Police Officers.

This is expected to be powerfully attractive to serving police from interstate and New Zealand to join Australia’s largest police force.

The NSW Government also have plans to launch the ‘You Should Be a Cop in Your Hometown’ program that will ensure people from regional NSW serve in, or near their hometown after they graduate from the Goulburn Police Academy.

While new recruits currently nominate several areas where they would like to serve, ‘Be a Cop in Your Hometown’ will give appropriate officers from regional NSW the opportunity to request to return to their hometown or a nearby community.

Preference will then be given to these recruits to fill any vacancies in their home town or nearby.

Ms Catley described these initiatives as a "game changer".

“Paying recruits to study is starting to look like a game changer but we won’t stop there,” she said. “Our Class 364 which will attest in December is full to the brim with more than 350 new recruits – the first full class in years. We have more than 1,500 vacancies to fill and mark my words, I’ve made it my personal mission, alongside Commissioner Webb, to fill them."

“I know our police are stretched and overworked. Many are exhausted. We need more boots on the ground and that’s what we’re determined to achieve. The two schemes announced, alongside paid study makes becoming a NSW Police Officer the most attractive it has been in decades. The proof is there, the numbers don’t lie. We are getting many more recruits and a more diverse range of recruits.”

There are currently more than 1500 vacancies in the NSW Police Force that programs like this are aiming to fill.

One happy recruit is Probationary Constable 'Gabby', now stationed at Dubbo after attending the Police Academy. She said some people are apprehensive about a country placement but for her it was the best lifestyle change.

"What I love about it our here is that the people are very friendly and very welcoming. You should become a cop if you want a lifestyle change and if you want to make a difference in someone's life," she said.

President of the Police Association of NSW Kevin Morton said it was heartening to see the pay-to-train model is working.

"These additional recruitment initiatives will hopefully begin alleviating the strain on our frontline workers," he said.

From March 2024, student police officers will be employed as clerk grade 1/2 administrative employees on a temporary fixed term contact. They’ll receive a total salary of approximately $30,984 over the 16-week study period, including super and award-based allowances. 

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