STATE Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin today (Monday, 9 December) welcomed 22 new Probationary Constables to three police district commands which safeguard local communities within her electorate.
Ms Saffin wished the new recruits from Class 364 well for their careers with the NSW Police Force as police commanders deploy them to local stations and they embark on 12 months of on-the-job training.
“We have 10 Probationary Constables in the Tweed-Byron Police District, seven for Richmond, six for New England,” Ms Saffin said.
“They are making history as being among 298 members of the largest class to graduate from the Goulburn Police Academy in a decade.
“Class 364 comprises 218 men and 80 women aged between 18 and 52, with five recruits receiving awards for outstanding academic or physical achievements.”
Ms Saffin was with Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley and NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb APM in Byron Bay last week and they were both pleased with the surge in police recruitment.
Police Association NSW Vice-President Ian Allwood last week told The Daily Telegraph that officer numbers dropped significantly during the Covid pandemic but with November’s wage rise of up to 40 per cent, along with the incentive for student officers to be paid about $1,360 per week when at the academy, the force should return to full capacity by 2026.
