Communities across Greater Sydney will benefit from having extra police on the beat, with 100 high visibility officers set to join the ranks as part of the NSW Government’s historic investment in frontline policing.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is investing a record $583 million to deliver 1,500 extra police – the biggest single increase for the NSW Police Force in more than 30 years.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Police Troy Grant and NSW Acting Police Commissioner Gary Worboys announced today that 100 of these new officers will be deployed to high visibility foot patrols across NSW - including many in Sydney - ensuring that communities are even safer places to live and work.
"These new high visibility street teams will provide a reassuring presence right across our suburbs and play a vital role in disrupting and preventing crime and anti-social behaviour," Ms Berejiklian said.
"The NSW Government is delivering record breaking frontline services for schools, hospitals and our emergency services. Our careful economic management is allowing us to deliver the improvements that will make a real difference for everyone in NSW."
Along with providing high visibility foot patrols, the new officers announced today will also be deployed to major events, transport hubs and busy areas.
Mr Grant said the boost in resources would also give police greater capacity for ongoing local community and business engagement.
"They call it the thin blue line – but that’s hardly the case with more and more officers on our streets serving the community and proactively targeting crime," Mr Grant said.
"Having this highly-visible deployment means police can gather more intelligence to tackle emerging crime trends head-on, and increase community confidence in local policing by addressing any concerns from retail owners, residents or other community members.
"The presence of more men and women in blue will also make criminals think twice before breaking the law. With more eyes on them, there’s more chance of being caught and charged by police."
Acting Commissioner Worboys said modern policing is not just about making people safe, it's also about making people feel safe.
"That's why a highly-visible presence in our major city is so important," Acting Commissioner Worboys said.
"We know New York, Paris and London have moved towards a highly-visible presence. It's only natural the largest city and biggest economy in Australia would follow."
The high visibility street teams will operate across five NSW Police Force regions, with a large contingent of 40 extra police set to be deployed across the Central Metropolitan Region.
The officers will be specifically trained in intelligence gathering so they can proactively identify conflicts ranging from local level issues to the most serious indicators of violent extremism.
They will work closely with Police Area Commands and Districts across their respective regions while also complementing the work of specialist officers across the Force.
Along with today’s announcement, all 58 Police Area Commands and Police Districts will receive an Elder Abuse Prevention Officer and a Child Protection Register Officer.
A further 91 officers will be deployed to Region Enforcement Squads and Raptor Units to fight serious and organised crime.
