Corrective Services NSW has unveiled its world-class training centre for new recruits in the former Tomago Detention Centre.
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Corrective Services revealed it has started the recruitment process for 150 officers who will be based at Cessnock Correctional Centre and undergo training at the new Tomago facility.
In a major milestone, the first recruits have become the first to graduate under Corrective Services’ biggest recruitment drive in its history.
A total of 1400 positions will be filled across the state in the rolling recruitment campaign which started several weeks ago.
Twenty-four officers have already completed 10 weeks of intensive training at the Corrective Services NSW Academy – Hunter Region.
CSNSW Assistant Commissioner (Governance and Continuous Improvement) James Koulouris said training courses required in Cessnock or the state’s North West region would be carried out at Tomago.
“The Hunter region has been identified as a major growth area so having this facility is very beneficial,” Mr Koulouris said.
“We can now provide some of the world’s finest operational corrective services training to the Hunter region. Training locally means we can provide more attractive employment opportunities in this area,” he said.
Mr Koulouris said the facility is cost-effective, reducing CSNSW trainee training expenditure by about $500,000 per annum. “Having a local facility means trainees can continue to live at home.”
The new centre includes training rooms, 44 accommodation rooms, a food preparation area, five cells for custodial scenario training, parade ground area for muster and training, office area, laundry and a make-shift gymnasium.
Fairfax Media reported in 2013 that Tomago periodic detention centre would close after the state government decided to outsource prisoner accommodation services.
Periodic detention was scrapped in 2009, but the centre on Tomago Road was used as a Community Offender Support Program centre providing short-term accommodation and other services to recently released prisoners.
As a detention centre, Tomago could house 100 men and 10 women but as a program centre, it only provided 44 beds.
Periodic detention was replaced with intensive corrections orders, which include rehabilitation programs and community service.
