Want to be a cop in your hometown? Now's the time to apply

The initiatives were jointly launched on Thursday, July 4, at Tamworth PCYC by Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree, People and Capability Command, and Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood, Capability Performance and Youth Command.

You Should Be a Cop In Your Hometown is a recruitment campaign designed to attract applicants to 12 regional areas, specifically targeting applicants to become an officer in their home town.

The target regions include: Albury; Bathurst; Coffs Clarence; Dubbo/Wellington; Griffith; Hunter Valley; Mid North Coast; Moree; Nowra; Richmond; Tamworth and Wagga Wagga, with placements dependent on operational needs.

Assistant Commissioner Greentree said the goal was to be able to provide greater certainty for recruits, giving them confidence they could join the NSW Police Force and work in their hometowns.

"We know becoming a police officer and moving away from home can be a big ask, especially if you have family and enjoy where you live," he said.

"This new initiative will give those who apply to be a police officer a higher level of confidence on where they'll work.

"As well as being paid for your 16 weeks at the academy to train and start your career with NSW Police, when you join, you can identify where you would like to work and if an applicant is from a regional area not listed, we will still look at positions available in the area," Assistant Commissioner Greentree said.

Assistant Commissioner Greentree described the initiative as "really exciting".

"I'm a proud Inverell boy and when I joined the police force we had no choice - we had to go to metro," he said.

"They sent me to City of Sydney of all places, but I would have loved the opportunity to go back to regional NSW.

"This initiative will allows people who have those deep roots in the community to do that."

Among the police on hand to promote the event was Constable Jack Fenn, from the Oxley Crime Team based in Tamworth.

Tamworth is Constable Fenn's home town, and he's been stationed here for the past five years.

He described the You Should Be a Cop in Your Hometown recruitment campaign as "a great initiative".

"When I went to the academy I had a young family and could have been sent anywhere," he said.

"There were some sleepless nights thinking about that, but I got lucky and was posted back to Tamworth so it's been good.

Constable Fenn said new recruits now would not have to have that same worry.

"I think we'll see more people put their hand up and want to join just purely because they have that option of being sent back to their home town."

The recruitment campaign runs in Tamworth on July 4 and 5, before visiting Armidale on Saturday, July 6, and then Moree on Sunday, July 7.

The second initiative, You Should Be a Cop Youth Program, is a work experience program designed to create interest in becoming a police officer, as well as educate young people and reduce barriers which may commonly delay their entry into the force.

Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood, Capability Performance and Youth Command said the pilot program would be launched in Term 3 in partnership with PCYC.

"The police and PCYC have had a very strong working relationship for more than 80 years now and we see this a natural progression ... a pipeline for recruitment of young police."

The program will run in three locations: Sutherland Shire Police Area Command with Youth Command Engagement Officers (Metropolitan region); Oxley Police District with Western Region Youth Engagement Officers and Rural Crime Prevention Team (Western region), and a culturally specific program in south west Sydney with the Pasifika Officers Law Enforcement Network.

Students from a number of local schools were invited to the launch, to "try out" the program, and Assistant Commissioner Wood said about 15 he had spoken to said they "wanted to be a cop".

"For a person like me - with more than 30 years' experience in the police force - to hear that about the job we love is music to our ears," he said.

Each 'class' in the program will include 15 to 20 students, with participants from Years 10 to 12 identified by their school careers counsellor.

Assistant Commissioner Wood said students would gain a better understanding of policing by participating in a four day program, which would see them experience a variety of specialist commands, as well as potentially visit the Police Academy at Goulburn.

"The pilot program is designed to not just find the next generation of police but to inspire students and show them there's much more to being a police officer," he said.

"This is an opportunity to showcase a career in policing for young people, who may have not previously considered joining the police force.

"We're hoping to attract young people from big and small regional towns, metropolitan areas and culturally diverse backgrounds, because it will help us better serve the community."

Visit You Should Be a Cop In Your Hometown for details.