THERE were first-day nerves but a childhood dream has finally been realised for two of the region’s newest police recruits.
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Probationary constables Greg Collins and Daniel Bailey hit the beat for the first time in Tamworth yesterday – two of six new officers deployed to the Oxley, Barwon and New England Commands.
It’s been something of a whirlwind for the pair, moving to Tamworth after Friday’s passing out at the Goulburn Police Academy.
“Friday was awesome. The feeling, like just throwing your hat in the air, just taking the ribbons off, showing the cheques, was just awesome,” Probationary Constable Bailey, who hails from Cessnock, said.
“I was happy to come back to the country, I am stoked where I am now.”
Constable Collins was a financial planner before he left his young family in Taree to move to the Academy. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child actually, but I’m a bit older,” he said, adding he was eager to get straight on the beat.
“Both Dan and I are very lucky to get country preferences and Tamworth is held in high regard at the academy and through people we talk to.
So I do want to bring the family over.”
For the next couple of months, the officers will work as part of three officer teams as they settle into the country beat, policing the streets of Tamworth.
“They’ve learnt a lot in theory and putting that into practice during role play, but now they have to put that into practice on the streets of Tamworth and that’s a big challenge,” Oxley Inspector Matt French said, adding that a support and training network was ready to back the pair.
Moree welcomed three recruits to the job yesterday, while Armidale will be home for one new officer in New England.
And, now that's the focus to get more country cops back to this side of the Great Dividing Range.
"We are not Sydney, and Sydney is not Tamworth and we do things differently here," Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said.
"Talking to the commander last week we are down seven General Duties [GD] positions, these two they will be their colleagues.
"This is a hard-to-recruit-to area, that's why I have had the discussions with the commander to see, righto, how do we overcome that and it is getting people to move to regional NSW."
