New probationary constables have joined Northern Beaches Police Area Command, adding frontline officers to a command that has dealt with a series of recent reports involving retail theft, assaults and anti-social behaviour in Dee Why.
Ten officers from NSW Police Class 369 were allocated to Northern Beaches Police Area Command after attesting at the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn on Friday, 21 August. The recruits began duties at police stations across the state on Monday, 24 August.
Class 369 comprised 353 probationary constables, making it the largest NSW Police graduating class in 14 years. The new officers will complete 12 months of on-the-job training and distance education before being confirmed to the rank of constable.
Dee Why receives command-wide policing boost
Ms Jacqui Scruby MP welcomed the latest recruits in a statement on 27 August, citing concerns about anti-social behaviour, retail crime and threats faced by workers in local shops and village centres.
Ms Scruby said residents wanted more police and referred to shoplifting, swarming and coordinated raids targeting bottle shops and village centres. Recent police activity in Dee Why has included responses to reported thefts, assaults involving retail workers and disturbances involving groups of young people.
Howard Avenue targeted in retail crime operation
Police conducted a targeted operation in Dee Why on 30 April following reports of retail theft and anti-social behaviour around Howard Avenue. The operation focused on young people suspected of stealing from local retailers and involved police, a youth officer and loss-prevention staff. Five criminal infringement notices and five youth cautions were issued.
Police returned to Howard Avenue on 11 June after a reported incident at a convenience store investigated as an alleged robbery. Officers were told two men entered the store before a staff member was allegedly assaulted.
Police were called to Dee Why town centre on 4 August following reports involving boys aged about 12 and 13. Objects were allegedly thrown towards vehicles and pedestrians, and a shopkeeper was allegedly assaulted.
Police later located members of the group near Pittwater Road. A 12-year-old boy was taken to Dee Why Police Station and released with a caution under the Young Offenders Act 1997.
Ms Scruby said frontline workers in local shops and businesses should not have to face intimidation, threats or danger while doing their jobs. She also called for large commercial operators to invest in preventative security measures at locations considered at higher risk.
New officers begin year-long training
The arrival of the new probationary constables increases the number of recently trained officers serving within Northern Beaches Police Area Command, although NSW Police has not publicly detailed how many of the latest recruits will work from Dee Why Police Station.
The allocation is command-wide, meaning officers may be deployed across the Northern Beaches policing area as they complete their first year of operational training.
Of the 353 officers who graduated with Class 369, 67 were allocated to commands within the North West Metropolitan Region. Ten were assigned to Northern Beaches Police Area Command.
Published 28-Aug-2026
