Eleven new police set to hit Oxley, New England and Barwon

Five officers will start their policing careers in Tamworth in the Oxley Command, Barwon will collect four new probationary constables while New England will have two new officers.

The new constables are part of a 27-strong crew which are headed for the Western Region – the policing area west of the Great Dividing Range.

“We believe this is a record number of officers for our region,” Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said.

“This is the largest group of new officers we’ve seen come to our region from the academy and they are a very welcome boost to our local police ranks.”

Mr Marshall’s electorate covers both the New England and Barwon police commands, and he’s met with local police this week about the challenges facing the areas.

“We know there are challenges we face everyday with crime, and having extra resources is a good thing,” he said.

“We can’t have cops on every corner, but every extra officer helps to make our streets safer.”

Oxley Acting Superintendent Jeff Budd said the large country deployment was insuring the region for the future with the officers taking a three-year posting to their commands.

“It’s an investment into the regions,” he said.

“Country policing can be very tough, but at the same time it’s very rewarding."

Acting Superintendent Budd watched the new police at the attestation parade in Goulburn on Friday morning and said it would be a day they would never forget.

“Every cop remembers their attestation parade, you never lose that feeling of that day it’s a great sense of achievement,” he said.

On Monday, the new officers will take a tour of their new stations before they hit the streets.

“We have experienced police who will do a fantastic job moulding these officers into good police,” Acting Superintendent Budd said.