New South Wales Police Force
The New South Wales Police Force, commonly abbreviated as NSW Police Force, is the primary law enforcement agency in the Australian state of New South Wales. Established in 1862, the organisation has more than 17,000 police officers and is the largest police force in Australia. The force has a jurisdiction covering of 801,600 square kilometres and more than 8.2 million people.
In 2020, the police force had 21,455 employees – 17,348 police officers and 4,107 support staff, 432 police stations, 3,300 vehicles, 52 boats, 9 aircraft and a budget of AUD $4.8 billion. It is organised into police area commands in metropolitan areas, police districts in rural areas and specialist commands.
The police force performs law enforcement in all areas of the state. Local government authorities and other agencies have very limited law enforcement responsibilities. The capacity of magistrates and justices to appoint constables was removed and the commissioner of NSW Police now has sole control of the appointment of constables in the state.
Mission statement and aims
The Police Act 1990 states the mission of the NSW Police is "to work with the community to reduce violence, crime and fear".NSW Police aim to protect the community by
- Preventing, detecting and investigating crime
- Monitoring and promoting road safety
- Maintaining social order
- Performing and coordinating search and rescue operations
Insignia, motto and symbols
Its current motto is in Latin, Culpam Poena Premit Comes.
In August 2024, the NSW Police changed their digital badge from St Edward's Crown to the Tudor Crown following the accession of King Charles III who succeeded Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Banner, flag and pennants
On 29 September 2006, the Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, presented a banner to NSW Police at a ceremony held adjacent to the NSW Police roll of honour at The Domain.NSW Police sometimes use a flag, with the Nemesis emblem on a bicolour of light blue over white. In ceremonies, Mounted Police occasionally carry swallow-tailed blue and white pennants on lances. The Commissioner and [|VIP] cyclists sometimes use swallow-tailed blue and white pennants with a Nemesis logo on their transportation.
History
The NSW Police were established in 1862 under the Police Regulation Act 1862 which unified all existing police units in the colony under an Inspector General of Police.1788 – Early forms of law enforcement
Law enforcement has existed in various forms since the foundation of the colony of New South Wales at Sydney in 1788. In order to protect the infant town against thieves and petty criminals after dark, Governor Arthur Phillip authorised the formation of a nightwatch in August 1789, consisting of eight of the best-behaved convicts. After his appointment as the new governor of New South Wales, Governor Lachlan Macquarie restructured the various police in January 1811, setting up a basic system of ranks and control and recruiting free men instead of convicts. Police units were under the rule of the District Magistrates.1825 – NSW Mounted Police
After conflict in 1824 with the Wiradjuri people around Bathurst and Mudgee, the colonial authorities in New South Wales recognised the need for a mounted force to maintain control on the frontier. As a result, the NSW Mounted Police was formed in the following year. Up until 1850, this force operated as de facto cavalry unit as the troopers were soldiers requisitioned from the colonial forces of Australia. Their main tasks in this period were to subdue groups of Aboriginals resisting European colonisation and to capture bushrangers. From 1850 the Mounted Police took on a more civilian role. In 2009, it had 34 horses and was claimed to be the oldest mounted police unit in the world. Another specialist group formed commenced operation during this time. The Water Police were formed in 1832.1839 – Border Police
By this stage, the NSW government could not afford the cost of maintaining the Mounted Police along the expanding frontiers of the colony. A new frontier police consisting of mounted convict troopers, called the Border Police, was therefore established. The convicts assigned were mostly soldiers who had run afoul of the law. The Border Police was funded by a levy placed on the squatters who had brought livestock into the areas beyond the borders of settlement. In addition to controlling the Aboriginal and bushranger threats, the Border Police were also tasked with resolving land disputes with the squatters.1848 – Native Police
With the end of convict transportation approaching, the Border Police was dissolved and replaced with another low-cost frontier force called the Native Police. This force consisted of Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers. The role of this force was mostly to maintain peace between Aboriginals and settlers. Some writers suggest it suppressed Aboriginal resistance and exploited intertribal hostility. From 1859, the responsibility of the Native Police passed from the NSW government to the newly formed Queensland government.In the early 1850s, Victoria was separated from New South Wales and created its own force.
1862 – Establishment of the Police Force
As the colony expanded, a more sophisticated form of crime management was called for. This involved unifying all the police units into a single cohesive police organisation with the centralisation of authority. After a failed attempt made by Act No. 38 of 1850, unified control of the police eventuated in 1862 when the Police Regulation Act was passed, establishing the NSW Police. The first Inspector General of Police, John McLerie, was appointed to assume overall authority and responsibility. The Police Regulation Act, passed in 1935, changed the title to Commissioner of Police, with its role clearly defined. The position of Deputy Commissioner was also created.By 1872, there were 70 police stations throughout the colony in sub-districts, with a total of 803 police officers.
In July 1915, the first female police officers commenced duty, being Misses Lilian May Armfield and Maude Marion Rhodes.
In 1961, the number of NSW Police had increased to 5,717 and by November 2008, it had increased to 15,354.
Bushrangers
After the formation of the NSW Police in 1862, the most serious crimes were committed by bushrangers, particularly during the Victorian gold rush years. Constable Byrne almost single-handedly fought off the Ben Hall gang when they attacked a gold escort at Majors Creek on 13 March 1865. Constable O'Grady was taken ill with cholera when, on 9 April 1866, he left his sick-bed to confront the Clarke gang, which was incorrectly renowned as being the "bloodiest bushrangers" of the colony of NSW and of Australia. Constable Walker was one of the earliest Australian-born mounted troopers to gain fame. He brought Captain Thunderbolt's enduring "bushranging" career to an end by shooting him near Uralla in New England, NSW.Constable Ernest Charles Day showed courage under fire when he shot and captured bushranger Hobson, who was later executed by hanging. Day later investigated a string of murders involving a hawker, Tommy Moore, by tracing his activities to South Australia, solving one of Australia's earliest serial-killer cases.
1894 – Arming
In 1894, a number of unarmed police were seriously injured while attempting to arrest a group of offenders as they attempted to break open a safe in the Union Steamship Company Office in Bridge Street, Sydney. The incident received wide publicity and was known as "Bridge Street Affray".Within 24 hours, the Premier announced that all Police would wear firearms at all times while on duty to prevent the escape of felons and to place them on an equal footing with armed criminals. Previously, only police in rural districts had been permitted to carry firearms.
Parliament subsequently passed legislation authorising the arming of all NSW Police and they have carried firearms since.