As a former Police Officer and now as Minister for Police it always brings back memories when I attend these events. 

I congratulated the new recruits on graduating from the Police Academy and thanked them for their commitment to preventing and disrupting crime.

On a local level I pleased that four of our newest Police recruits will be stationed in the Orana region. 

I know the qualifications our officers have completed at the academy, together with on-the-job training they will undertake at the Orana Local Area Command will ensure they are more than adequately prepared for the task ahead.

Policing can be an extremely challenging profession. 

Our officers encounter the best and the worst of humanity in the line of duty, so I’m very pleased that our community will benefit from the enthusiasm of the Officers starting their career on the beat.

The NSW Liberals and Nationals Government has undertaken to boost frontline police numbers across the State through the re-engineering process. 

The men and women attesting today will bring the number of individuals who have become sworn NSW Police officers since 2011 to 4,163.

Every police graduation day gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment and dedication of the men and women who have chosen a career in law enforcement.

Class 331 includes 226 recruits who have attested as Probationary Constables.

These new recruits will commence on-the-job training on Monday and will continue distance education before graduating with an Associate Diploma in Policing Practice.

The NW Government is committed to boosting the authorised strength of the NSW Police Force to 16,795 over this term of Government.

The NSW Government is investing $1.3 billion in regional areas through six funds, Resources for Regions, the Regional Cultural Fund, the Stronger Country Communities Fund, the Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund, the Growing Local Economies fund and Connecting Country Communities.

The funds will enable regional communities to grow, draw in more investment and attract skilled workers.

The funded projects will be led by the community and applications are invited from Councils, regional organisations, industry and other community bodies.

I encourage anyone interested in learning more about these funds to attend the Dubbo Information session;

Monday, August 28 from 12pm - 1:30pm at Dubbo RSL Club. Cnr Brisbane and  Wingewarra Street, Dubbo.

For more information about the Regional Growth Fund visit www.nsw.gov.au/regionalgrowth

Open now is the new Gulgong Fire Station. The $920,000 facility in Medley Street replaces the old station, which served the people of Gulgong and surrounding communities for more than 80 years.

This is the third fire station I’ve opened in regional NSW since January, and the NSW Liberals and Nationals Government has invested around $3 million in these state-of-the-art facilities.

These fire stations represent the sense of civic duty that is so strong in towns like Gulgong, and it fills me with pride to see so many new facilities up and running, working to keep our communities safe.

Construction of the new Gulgong Fire Station was completed in July 2017.

Until next week, Troy