Eighteen new police deployed to the Hunter after record NSW police graduation

Hunter Valley Police District: 5

Lake Macquarie Police District: 3

Newcastle City Police District: 3

Port Stephens–Hunter Police District (incl. Maitland area): 7

newy.com.au – Eighteen new NSW Police Force recruits have been deployed to the Hunter region from Monday 15 December 2025 after graduating as part of a record 341-officer class at the Goulburn Police Academy on Friday.

The arrivals are part of the State Government’s push to lift police numbers across the state, with local leaders saying the added staff will improve visibility and frontline capacity in the Cessnock area.

The state’s latest graduating cohort, known as Class 367, was described as the largest in 13 years and the third record-breaking class to attest in 2025, with recruits posted across 57 Police Area Commands and Police Districts.

The deployment includes eight officers for the Cessnock electorate, with the government saying the latest intake brings the total number of additional officers in the region since the 2023 election to 41 in Hunter Valley Police District and 29 in Lake Macquarie Police District.

Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley told recruits the attestation marked “the end of your training at the Goulburn Police Academy but the beginning of your responsibility to NSW”.

“Policing is an incredibly rewarding yet challenging career and each one of today’s 341 recruits is stepping up with integrity, professionalism and dedication,” Catley said.

State Member for Cessnock Clayton Barr said the new recruits would strengthen frontline policing locally, calling the graduation “another sign that the Minns Labor Government’s reforms to rebuild the NSW Police Force are working”.

“These officers are part of the largest police class in 13 years, and they’ll play an important role in strengthening frontline policing and delivering safer communities across the Cessnock electorate,” Barr said.

On Monday, Cessnock City Councillor Quintin King said he welcomed the eight officers as part of a delegation, describing their arrival as a practical response to calls for stronger local policing.

“Cessnock residents have been clear about the need for more police on the ground,” King said. “Today’s deployment reflects that those concerns were taken seriously and translated into action.”

King said he had raised police resourcing and community safety through council motions, correspondence and engagement with police leadership, adding: “The result we see today didn’t happen overnight.”

The government said Class 367 includes 248 men and 93 women aged between 19 and 54, including 14 First Nations officers and recruits born in 19 countries, with the group now beginning 12 months of on-the-job training as general duties officers.