The region has welcomed four new police officers to the job after the fresh-faced recruits had their first day on Monday.
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Probationary constables Brock Logue, Jason Burcher and Matthew Lord are Orange's new police officers, while their new colleague Jaykob Gavin will join them from Parkes.
Mr Burcher, who's born and bred in Orange, said he was "excited to get into it" on his first day on the job.
"I'm originally from around here and it's good to get back into it," he said.
"I'm keen to get back and take a bit of ownership of the town I grew up in."
He said going through the academy was a "long stretch" with the ongoing pandemic making life and teaching difficult, but managed to get through training along with his new colleagues.
" The academy was a long stretch with this COVID stuff,'" he said.
"It's full on at the moment with this pandemic but I'm keen to get into it."
He said becoming a police officer hadn't always been something he'd been locked in to, but was happy to make the jump.
"I always had a bit of an interest in it and it wasn't something I had planned, but there was a bit more interest in it [the older I got]," he said.
"I'm going in with an open mind to see where it takes me and learn as much as I can."
Central West Police District Chief Inspector Peter Atkins said it was good to have more boots on the ground as he welcomed them to Orange.
"It's good to get some new officers in the district and we look forward to working with them in weeks and months and years to come," he said.
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