Around 250 graduate recruits to the new Policing education program are taking to the streets this week in field placements at police stations across regional NSW.

The placements are part of the requirements of the Diploma of Policing Practice being offered by the NSW Police Service and Charles Sturt University through full-time study at the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn.

The Diploma of Policing Practice was launched in May this year as a result of recommendations made in the Wood Royal Commission, to increase the professional status of policing in NSW.

Coordinator of Employment Services with the NSW Police Service, Senior Sergeant Joanne Sharp, said the response to the course has been outstanding with some 250 students enrolling in the May and a further 250 graduates starting this month.

“It is very pleasing to see such a positive response to the new Diploma course as the Police Service makes a genuine commitment to the professional development of policing.

“The fact we have attracted graduates from interstate and from a wide range of community based professions such as nursing, teaching and welfare, helps us create a Service that better represents the diverse sections of the community,” Snr Sgt Sharp said.

“Policing is a demanding job and having mature officers who have had experience in related fields entering the Service, is only going to improve our professionalism.”

The students now on field placements are entering the course having gained academic credit for previous study or vocational experience.

Charles Sturt University will be hosting a number of policing students in accommodation on the Bathurst and Wagga Wagga Campuses and in student housing close to the Albury-Wodonga Campus until Friday 4 September.