The NSW Police Force has announced a new taskforce to investigate and suppress violent crime in the Sydney metropolitan area.
Taskforce Falcon will be led by State Crime Command, with the NSW Crime Commission, and will oversee a number of investigations into public place shootings, arson attacks and kidnappings, dating back to December 2024.
In total, the taskforce will oversee and coordinate 13 strike forces, including,
- SF Sherringham: an investigation into the criminality of members and associates of a high-profile OCN.
- SF Kersley: an investigation into the criminality of members and associates of an OCN.
- SF Loughrea: the shooting murder of a 31-year-old man in Canley Heights on Sunday 29 December 2024.
- SF Brose: a public place shooting in Brighton Le Sands on Tuesday 18 February 2025.
- SF Drever: the attempted kidnapping of a 36-year-old man in Parramatta on Thursday 27 February 2025.
- SF Hamert: a public place shooting in Merrylands on Saturday 22 March 2025.
- SF Beech: a public place shooting in Guildford West on Wednesday 16 April 2025.
- SF Cobaw: an arson at a barbershop in Liverpool on Wednesday 30 April 2025.
- SF Deurne: public place shootings in Yennora on Friday 2 May and on Monday 12 May 2025.
- SF Berchem: two arsons at a barbershop in Merrylands on Thursday 8 May and Friday 9 May 2025.
- SF Evere: a public place shooting in Mt Druitt on Friday 9 May 2025.
- SF Harkstede: the shooting murder of a 23-year-old man in Condell Park on Monday 19 May 2025.
- SF Arrino: a public place shooting in Granville on Sunday 25 May 2025.
In addition to examining potential links between the incidents, the taskforce will be responsible for suppressing and disrupting those groups and individuals believed to be involved in the violence.
Investigators, expertise, and resources will be pooled from across the entire NSWPF organisation, including from all of State Crime Command's specialist squads.
Taskforce Falcon, which will be overseen by Detective Superintendent Jason Box, is modelled off Taskforce Erebus and Taskforce Magnus.
More than 150 officers will make up the taskforce, which includes the detectives already assigned to the various strike forces, as well as an additional 90 staff to bolster investigative efforts and make up the proactive arm of the operation.
NSW Police and Counter-terrorism Minister, the Honourable Yasmin Catley MP said Taskforce Falcon will target those responsible for recent violent attacks.
"The recent violence on our streets is horrific. We won't tolerate these lawless thugs playing out their vendettas in our communities. When innocent people get caught up in them and are made to suffer it's sickening and barbaric.
"Public safety is the number one priority of the NSW Government and our police. We all have the right to live our lives in our communities safe from these brazen criminals.
"Today we announce NSWPF are standing up Taskforce Falcon to deal with these murderous swine. The message is crystal clear. To those contemplating taking part in this vicious criminality, our police are coming to get you.
"You can look forward to spending a large chunk of your life in a small cell."
NSW Police Force Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said combining 13 investigative teams under one banner will strengthen the NSW Police Force's ability to drive down serious and violent crime.
"This taskforce is about increasing our agility and effectiveness in both crime solving and crime preventing.
"It's about taking the expertise we already have and coordinating our response under one roof to make sure nothing slips through the cracks," Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said.
"By consolidating these strike forces, we can more efficiently make or discount connections between them, as opposed to spending lengthy amounts of time trying to determine links where none exist. That's a smarter and faster way to deliver results for the people of NSW.
"We also recognise that preventing harm is just as important as solving it, and Taskforce Falcon will have a proactive arm dedicated to ensuring we are applying the full force of available laws to stop violent crime before it happens.
"This isn't about waiting for the violence to escalate, this is about ensuring we are using all mechanisms available to us – such as high-visibility policing, disruption tactics and targeted enforcement – to shut down criminal activity at the earliest opportunity.
"We have the tools, we have the people, and now we have the unified platform to act swiftly and decisively towards any crook who thinks they can use the streets of Sydney as a backdrop for their callous and violent crimes."
Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is managed on a confidential basis. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
