In the latest allocation of staff, Lake Macquarie scored the most probationary constables in the NSW Police Northern Region - which stretches from the Hawkesbury to the Queensland border - where 27 of the 226 graduates from the latest cohort are being sent for their first jobs on the force.

Lake Macquarie Police District and Port Stephens-Hunter Police District, which takes in the areas around Nelson Bay, Raymond Terrace and Maitland, were each allocated two recruits.

The Newcastle and Hunter Valley commands missed out this time around.

Sixty of those who were sworn in by Commissioner Mick Fuller at a private and COVID-safe ceremony on Friday are being posted to regional police stations, while 166 will work in metropolitan Sydney.

"Over the past two years, police have played a vital role in leading the community through the pandemic and I have been extraordinarily proud of the dedication and service of all of my men and women in blue," Commissioner Fuller said.

"I commend our newest probationary constables for embarking on a career in policing.

"The challenges they will face may not yet be known, but I can assure them that they will part of a large policing family.

"They have just reached an important milestone in what will no doubt be a very rewarding career."

Education and Training Commander, Assistant Commissioner Dean Smith, said the recruits had already demonstrated the resilience needed for a rewarding career in law enforcement.

"I congratulate all of today's newest probationary constables on this significant achievement," he said.

"I am incredibly proud of the dedication and commitment every one of the attesting probationary constables have displayed over the past eight months. The last 16 weeks has been particularly challenging given the COVID-19 restrictions and the fact that many of the recruits have not been able to return home to see their loved ones.

"While it is disappointing that we could not invite family and friends to attend the attestation ceremony today, it is still a very special and proud moment for the attesting class, their families and friends."

The recruits will start work on Monday and will complete 12 months of on-the-job training and study by distance education with Charles Sturt University before earning an Associate Degree in Policing Practice and moving up to the rank of constable.

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