Stuart Ayres med rel: NSW Police Force goes from strength to strength

The 2014-15 Police Budget includes $153 million in recurrent funding over four years to employ additional police officers, as part of the NSW Liberals & Nationals Governments commitment to increase the authorised strength of the NSW Police Force by a further 309 officers.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Stuart Ayres said by August 2015, authorised strength will reach a record 16,665.

“This shows the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government’s commitment to providing the NSW Police Force with adequate resources,” Mr Ayres said.
“With a record $177.6 million Police Capital Works allocation, we are on track to deliver on our commitment to provide officers with state of the art workplaces and technology,” he said.

In 2014-15, $59 million will go to continuing works on new or refurbished police stations.

“We will spend $4 million over two years to provide frontline police officers with body worn video cameras, following a successful trial of the technology in a number of Commands.”

The NSW Government has also reaffirmed its commitment to road safety, with a two-year, $7 million investment for the purchase of 110 mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) units for Traffic and Highway Patrol vehicles.

“ANPR technology essentially allows police to multitask – they can undertake other duties while vehicles are scanned and details are being cross-checked on the database.

And most importantly they’ve improved occupational health and safety for police officers who would otherwise be operating equipment on the side of often busy roads,” Mr Ayres said.

Other highlights include
. § $45 million over four years for the Technology Asset Replacement Program, which maintains and replaces critical information systems supporting frontline service delivery;
. § $25 million in capital and recurrent funding, as part of the $103 million project to upgrade properties, to address hazardous materials, compliance and safety, providing officers and staff with safe workplaces and housing;
. § $14.9 million to improve radio capabilities and network performance;
. § $10.7 million in recurrent funding over four years to employ 17 specialist staff, including pilots and engineers, for the NSW Police Force’s Aviation Support Branch; and
. § $7.9 million in recurrent funding over four years for costs associated with operating the NSW Police Force’s new counter terrorism helicopter and fixed wing aircraft.