The Minns Labor Government will strengthen the capability of the NSW Police Force and NSW Crime Commission to fight crime and keep the community safe with a $126.2 million investment in the 2026-27 NSW Budget.
The NSW Police Force and NSW Crime Commission are on the frontline of a fast-moving and evolving threat environment, and this investment will give them the digital infrastructure and tools they need to outpace criminals.
Modern criminal activity, particularly in organised and gang crime, is heavily enabled by digital platforms. Organised crime figures are essentially using 'click to order' criminal services on encrypted mobile devices and the dark web to carry out serious crimes and illegal activity.
Ten years ago, a mobile phone seized by police typically held 16 to 64 GB of data. Today an equivalent device holds 1 to 2 TB of data - representing up to 60 times increase in data that police must analyse, investigate and then store for 99 years.
Modern technology for a modern police force
As part of the 2026-27 NSW Budget, the Minns Labor Government will invest $108.8 million to fund major technology upgrades for the NSW Police Force including cutting-edge technology and digital evidence management systems, equipping police with nation-leading digital ICT infrastructure and capability to police smarter and stay ahead of threats.
This includes core policing technology and systems that allow the public to report crimes and police to gather evidence, including: BluLink - a secure police platform allowing the public to share location and live video with police; and Evidence.com - a digital evidence management system for police investigators that covers serious and organised crime.
Funding will upgrade critical platforms assisting with forensics, exhibits, intel and data analytics and will also upgrade police vehicle terminals and mobile police devices, so that NSW Police have the most reliable, modern tools and access to the best systems - anytime, anywhere.
Boosting the NSW Crime Commission's ability to disrupt criminal networks
The NSW Crime Commission will get a $17.4 million boost to disrupt organised crime networks and confiscate illegal and unexplained wealth.
This funding will allow the NSW Crime Commission to significantly scale up its coercive hearing capability - which compel suspected criminals to answer questions or risk jail. This will allow for a higher number of hearings to help breakdown and disrupt criminal syndicates.
It will also boost the Commission's unique capability to seize the proceeds of organised crime, disrupt links between kingpins and hired offenders, and dismantle this evolving operating model by hiring additional analysts and forensic experts to follow the money.
The Minns Labor Government recently passed a suite of legislative reforms, giving police the power to crack down on organised crime, with new offences and tougher penalties for public place shootings, 'kill cars', firebombings and the recruitment of children for criminal activity.
The next step in the prevention and disruption of organised and gang crime requires a significant investment in next generation digital capability and intelligence, which is exactly what the Minns Labor Government is doing.
Rebuilding the NSW Police Force for the future
When we came to Government, we inherited a police force losing officers faster than it could recruit them and facing increasing pressure from more complex and sophisticated forms of crime.
Since then, we have been working to rebuild the force - strengthening laws, backing major police operations, improving pay and conditions and investing in the people, technology and capability police need to do their job.
Today's investment is the next step in that work and further builds on the Minns Labor Government's efforts to strengthen policing capabilities and keep communities safe, including:
- Delivering a once-in-a-generation pay rise for police officers
- Paying recruits to train at the Goulburn Police Academy, resulting in a 70% increase in applications to join the NSWPF
- Establishing the 'Be a Cop In Your Hometown' program
- Establishing the Professional Mobility Program to attract experienced officers from interstate and New Zealand
- Establishing the Cadet Traineeship Program to create a new early pathway into policing
- Establishing the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Command to support officers across their careers
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
"People are understandably concerned about the level of violence we've seen. These criminals don't care who gets hurt and that's why we will continue giving NSW Police every tool they need to hunt them down, break up their networks and protect innocent people.
"The reality is organised crime today looks very different to what it did ten years ago. Criminals are using encrypted devices, digital platforms and sophisticated technology to hide their activities, and police need the capability to keep up.
"We've strengthened the laws, we've backed police operations and now we're investing in the next generation of technology and intelligence tools needed to disrupt criminal syndicates and help keep communities safer."
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said:
"Technology is changing and Government needs to stay agile to keep up - that's why we're investing in the modern tools and capability the NSW Police Force needs to keep us safe.
"This investment ensures police technology remains gold standard and supports officers to prevent, disrupt and respond to crime.
"We're backing the Crime Commission with $17 million to disrupt and seize the flow of ill-gotten funds and ultimately, break the operating model of organised crime.
"Only the Minns Labor Government backs our police with the resources, capability and strong laws they need to keep the community safe."
NSW Police Force Commissioner Mal Lanyon said:
"Targeting organised crime remains one of my highest priorities and police will relentlessly pursue those who threaten community safety.
"The level of violence and blatant disregard for the safety of the public that we are seeing, is completely unacceptable-and it will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
"Task Force Falcon alone, has carried out more than 500 arrests and laid over 1,500 charges, since its formation.
"Let me be absolutely clear: this effort is ongoing, and we will continue, every single day, to target, disrupt and bring to justice those responsible for this criminal behaviour."
NSW Crime Commissioner Stephen Dametto said:
"This funding will directly uplift the Commission's ability to combat serious and organised crime, by increasing our capacity to conduct coercive hearings to break criminal silence.
"At its core, organised crime exists to make money. The additional funding will boost the Commission's unique confiscations function and enhance the Commission's ability to strip criminal wealth out of organised crime.
"This uplift will lead to the Commission conducting more hearings and restraining more proceeds of crime to keep NSW safe."
