NSW Police Attestation Parade for Class 363
Friday, 16 August 2024
New South Wales Police Academy, Goulburn
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC
Thank you, Chief Superintendent.[1]
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land upon which we meet today and pay my respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all First Nations people here this morning.
Minister[2], Member for Goulburn[3], Commissioner[4] and Deputy Commissioners[5], Mayor[6], Vice Chancellor[7], Officers, family, friends, and, most importantly, members of Class 363,
In 2019, as my first public duty as Governor of NSW, the day after being sworn-in, I had the honour of acting as Reviewing Officer, here in Goulburn at the Attestation Parade for Class 337. Today, I have that honour again, this time for you, Class 363. In between, I have attended 10 Attestation Parades.
Each one has been different, each one unique. Just as every individual’s story in reaching this moment is unique with its own different twists, different turns, and different challenges.
As in many professions, including for lawyers and judges, you have taken an oath. That oath is the singular lodestar which guides your every action every day.
As new probationary constables it is essential that you understand and appreciate that you are embarking upon a career which is something much greater than yourself. That, in itself, is unique amongst careers and professions.
That ‘bigger aspect’ of policing is of such public importance that it is contained in an Act of Parliament. The Police Act 1990[8], is unique in that it has legislated that our community is to have a police force that has a mission, and which has values.
The mission, specified in section 6 provides that the police force, “is to work with the community to reduce violence, crime, and fear”.
The values are set out in section 7.
There are eight values. The first and second, ‘integrity’ and ‘upholding the rule of law’, are the backbone of policing. The third and fourth are at the heart of policing: “preserving the rights and freedoms of individuals” and “seeking to improve the quality of life [of the community] by community involvement in policing”.
The sixth to eighth values tell you how you are to undertake your policing: using your talents and discharging your duties efficiently and responsibly.
The fifth value is the result: citizen and police personal satisfaction.
If those values are not upheld by each and every police officer every single day, the mission of the Police Force is undermined with a corresponding detrimental impact on our community.
All of this involves a deep sense of service: you have already demonstrated your commitment to service, otherwise you would not have applied to enter the Academy.
It is a deeply honourable service which demands and deserves respect from the wider community. Respect, of course, has to be earned, which is why the Parliament has embedded into your professional lives the values to which I have referred. It is by honouring those values and abiding by your Oath or Affirmation of Office, that you will earn the respect which every police officer deserves.
These are serious matters and can’t be left unsaid.
However, for today your focus is rightly on your first successful step as a member of NSW Police. You are here with your peers on the parade ground, and, most importantly, it is a day of great pride and celebration. As Inspector Amy Scott has said, the greatest pride in her policing career was the day when, like you, she stood on this Parade Ground attesting as a Probationary Constable.
In another important and uplifting tradition of NSW Police, this morning we acknowledge five officers who have embodied exactly these values over careers that, combined, span 182 years.
Congratulations and thank you to these retiring officers who have served the NSW Police Force and the State of New South Wales.
- Superintendent Greg Taylor
- Superintendent Daniel Sullivan
- Chief Inspector Richard Johnson
- Detective Chief Inspector Sandra Green, and
- Senior Sergeant Meg Burke.
Thank you for your exemplary service and best wishes in your post-police activities.
To Class 363: thank you for your commitment expressed in your Oaths and Affirmations today.
We are proud of you, we celebrate your achievement, and we have faith that you will duly execute your duties as an officer in the New South Wales Police with pride and with honour.
Congratulations!
[1] Chief Superintendent Toby Lindsay APM, Principal and Commander, Organisational Development Command, NSW Police Academy
[2] The Hon. Yasmin Catley MP, Minister for Police and Counter Terrorism and Member for Swansea
[3] The Hon. Wendy Tuckerman MP, Shadow Minister for Local Government, Shadow Minister for Small Business and Member for Goulburn
[4] Commissioner Karen Webb APM, NSW Police
[5] Deputy Commissioner David Hudson APM, Investigations and Counter Terrorism Command, NSW Police; Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell APM, Regional NSW Field Operations, NSW Police; Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos APM, NSW Police; and Acting Deputy Commissioner Dean Smith APM, NSW Police
[6] Cr Peter Walker, Mayor for Goulburn, Mulwaree Council
[7] Prof Renee Leon PSM, Vice Chancellor, Charles Sturt University