Fewer people are signing up to become police officers due to the "prohibitive" cost of training, the police union says, calling for an overhaul of the system in Wollongong this week.
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The Police Association of NSW's new president Kevin Morton was in Wollongong for the union's conference and said there were no waiting lists to join the NSW Police Force, for the first time in his career.
"That has been brought about because of a university model where they need to pay before they actually get to the academy, and when they get to the academy, they incur a HECS debt," Mr Morton said.
Under the current system recruits must acquire a certification costing $1728 before embarking on their $17,000 associate degree in policing practice.
The cost of the associate degree can be deferred as a HECS debt, as can the initial training, although its cost rises to $2160 when not paid upfront.
Mr Morton said people could not afford to do this, and the upcoming class for June had been cancelled due to a lack of demand.
The training model needed to return to "police teaching police", he said, and the payment of recruits.
"They are prepared, for our communities, to put their lives on the line... Anyone who wants to put their hands up and say, 'I've got your back and I'm prepared to die for it' shouldn't be incurring huge debts to ensure they achieve that goal of protecting the community," Mr Morton said.
A NSW Police spokesperson said almost 4300 new probationary constables had joined the force since August 2018.
They said there were scholarships and financial support available for recruits.
"NSW Police and Charles Sturt University regularly review opportunities to improve entry pathways and support those undertaking police recruit training," they said.
Mr Morton also spoke about "blue tape" which mired police in administrative duties such as reports, and the need to modernise the way police responded to incidents.
"Instead of just taking the reports of crimes, we want to be out there preventing crimes," he said.
Figures obtained by Labor's police spokesman Walt Secord have shown people making urgent calls for help are waiting an increasingly long time for a police response in the Lake Illawarra police district.
Mr Morton said reducing the "blue tape" would help address this issue.
Deputy Premier and Police Minister Paul Toole, opposition leader Chris Minns, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb, and local MPs Paul Scully and Ryan Park were among those who also attended the conference.
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