NSW Police recently launched the 'You Should Be a Cop In Your Hometown' initiative aimed at identifying and recruiting future police officers.

Superintendent of the Richmond Police District Scott Tanner said if you sign up to join NSW Police, you can be guaranteed of getting a job in your hometown, if that is your choice..

"For example, if you're from Lismore and your choice is to come back to Lismore, before you actually go to the academy, you'll have a guarantee that you'll come back here and start your career.

"It's all built around getting local people with local knowledge and local connections to come back to the community and and be involved in policing," Supt Tanner explained.

This initiative is a far cry from twenty or thirty years ago when you had to stints outside of your hometown.

"It's changed over the years, absolutely. You used to have to do a metropolitan stint and then a country stint, and you used to have to go out west to get to the East Coast. But, this is just another incentive to get fresh new people coming in.

"Things have certainly changed since 30 years ago that I joined the police force. Things have have have changed dramatically. With the cost of living crisis, it's very hard for a young couple or a young person to uproot their life and move from regional areas into the city just for a job. So, we've identified that. If we have positions available, which we do, why not keep them in their hometown, where they've already got the support around them?"

If you or someone you know is interested to learn more, the Richmond Police District is running two roadshows today and tomorrow.

Today (Thursday, 19 September), police will be setup in Ballina Fair between 4pm and 8pm.

Tomorrow (Friday, 20 September), police will be set up at Oakes Oval between 9am and 2:30pm as part of the Northern Rivers Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout.

You can also check out You Should Be A Cop In Your Hometown on the Richmond Police District Facebook page or check out the NSW Police website https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/recruitment.