A week after the NSW police lobby joined a call to address regional crime, citing a police force shortage as one of the contributors, $45 million has been allocated to giving NSW Police Trainees a wage for the first time. 

Under the new policy, the Goulburn Police Academy students will receive $31,000 for 16 weeks of training. The full time wage replaces what was previously unpaid time spent training. 

The new policy follows a well-documented difficulty in police recruitment since the pandemic, as well as an increase in existing officers leaving the police force. 

According to government reports, NSW has 1500 police vacancies which has seen detectives taken away from active investigations to fill front line policing positions. 

Police Association of NSW President Kevin Morton said that there was no getting around a lack of boots on the ground. 

“It takes a special kind of person to want to be a police officer, but with today’s cost of living challenges, not many of us can afford to forgo income for 16 weeks,” Mr Morton said.

Earlier in the year, Mr Morton had made the shortage a key priority of the PANSW. 

“NSW is the only jurisdiction in the country, and perhaps the world, where potential police have to fork out thousands of dollars and spend months of their lives training just to apply to be in the police force,” Mr Morton said. 

“There’s not even a guarantee of a job at the end of it, so it’s no wonder people aren’t applying.”

While the pay will commence from March 2024, current classes will receive scholarships to offset their own costs. 

The new policy is expected to go a long way in career attraction for a more diverse range of students, including mature age students with existing financial responsibilities, women - particularly those with families - and people from low-income households. 

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said that the new policy is the best incentive the police force has been able to offer for years.

“It comes at a time when I know all our current hard working, dedicated officers will be very relieved. The calvary is coming!”