And, in a further show of support for the region, 10 officers have also been earmarked for the Central Hunter (LAC).

The offer comes after the NSW Police Association Central Hunter branch took up industrial action in November as frustrations about a lack of numbers boiled over.

The branch had called for 20 new positions, but branch chairman Mitch Dubojski said 10 was a “very good start”.

“This isn’t a win or loss scenario, but it’s a large step forward,” he said. 

“It will help enhance our response times and allow us to provide a better service to the community.”

The branch is expected to formally endorse the offer on Thursday.

Frustrations grew after the NSW Police Force senior executive promised that its long-awaited police re-engineering process would put more boots on the ground in exchange for an overhaul of the existing command structure.

But, Mr Dubojski said at the time no assurances on extra numbers had been given, hence the decision to proceed with industrial action.

Action was called off after a few weeks when the Police Commissioner pledged to assess what additional resources were needed by mid-December. 

Who the new officers will be and when they will start is yet to be decided, but Mr Dubojski said he was glad they had an answer on the numbers.

“The re-engineering process has been tremendously stressful,” he said.

“This is definitely going to provide everyone with more of a positive outlook towards what they’re doing. Especially coming up to the festive season, which is always a busy time for us.

“It’s very reassuring that the senior executive has listened to our concerns and balanced out numbers with the needs of the community.

“We want to thank the community for its support over the past few months.”