NSW will be a safer State with 450 additional police to be assigned to local stations and specialist areas over the next 12 months to protect communities and fight crime.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is investing $583 million to provide 1500 additional police over the next four years, the single biggest investment for the NSW Police Force in more than 30 years.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW Government was delivering record investment to frontline services for schools and hospitals, as well as police and emergency services.
“Our frontline police officers put their lives on the line to protect the community. These additional police officers will be sent to stations where they are needed the most to ensure the safety and security of the local community,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“In addition to more local police, the NSW Police Force will boost the ranks of high-visibility teams, as well as specialist crime fighters devoted to strategic intelligence and cyber crime.”
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said NSW has some of the lowest crime rates in 20 years, and the changing nature of crime meant it was vital more police were introduced into the ranks.
“This a major boost to ensure police have the resources they need to protect the community. These officers include specialist police to deal with aged crime prevention, where an elderly person is the victim of a crime, and to monitor offenders on the Child Protection Register. Every police area or district in NSW will receive these additional officers across four years,” Mr Elliott said.
NSW Police Force Commissioner Mick Fuller said new positions will be created in the areas most in need.
“These fully funded positions are the resource boost we need to continue to drive down crime and protect the community,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“Positions are being placed in the areas most in need across the state. We will see more officers in police area commands and police districts as well as in specialist commands, such as our Strategic Intelligence, Rural Crime and Cyber Crime Squads.
“By 2023, we will have a child protection register coordinator and aged crime prevention officer at each police area command and police district across the state.
“We know we will face emerging threats in the future. With the structure in place and our strong position, we’ll be able to allocate resources where they’ll make the greatest difference.”
Areas of NSW receiving police in the first batch during 2019-20 include:
- Nepean PAC and Hunter Valley PD (11 each)
- Mid North Coast PD (10 each)
- Monaro PD and South Coast PD (nine each)
- Coffs-Clarence PD and Richmond PD (eight each)
- Central West PD, Mt Druitt PAC (seven each)
- Camden PAC, Cumberland PAC, Newcastle City PD, Orana Mid Western PD, Riverina PD (six each), and
- Chifley PD, Hume PD, Lake Illawarra PD, Lake Macquarie PD, New England PD, Oxley PD, Port Stephens-Hunter PD, The Hills PAC and Tuggerah Lakes PD (five each).
An additional 38 police will go to high visibility policing, with 20 for Central Metro, eight for North West Metro, six for Northern, eight for South West Metro and six for Southern.
Other highlights include 10 new police to be allocated to cybercrime, nine in surveillance, and six each in strategic intelligence and rural crime.
Future allocations of positions will be determined based on resource requirements and how best to prevent, disrupt and respond to emerging crime issues.