Riverina residents encouraged to nominate police officers for annual Police of the Year awards

The initiative was officially launched on Friday by Superintendent Bob Noble and the Rotary Wagga Sunrise Club.

“We know that there’s a lot of people out there who appreciate the work police do and sometimes they don’t know how to express that – these awards allow them to do that,” Superintendent Noble said.

“We’re now a district of over 200 sworn officers, encompassing not just Wagga, but Cootamundra, Temora, Junee and Tumut.

“There’s a lot of officers not previously captured in these awards, so it could be the first time for some officers to be awarded.

“The awards are growing and police are chuffed even when they get nominations.”

There are six award categories residents may nominate officers for.

Fred Loneragan, president of Rotary Wagga Sunrise, said the initiative aligned with the club’s philosophy.

“The Rotary club was founded on vocational excellence and that is what the police do every day,” Mr Loneragan.

“This is your opportunity to recognise that you really appreciate and value the service of the police.”

A former police officer himself, Mr Loneragan said the awards were important because “it never hurts to pat anyone on the back to say you’re doing a very good job”.

“Police put themselves on the frontline of all sorts of issues – at the end of the day, police are public servants,” he said.

It is the fifth time the awards are being held for the district.

The awards will be presented on March 16, 2019 at Wagga’s International Hotel.