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The New South Wales Police Force is headed by the Commissioner of Police. The structure of the New South Wales Police Force Senior Executive Service is determined by the Minister for Police. The Deputy Commissioners of Field Operations - Metropolitan, Field Operations - Regional, Investigations and Counter - terrorism, Special Support and Corporate Services report directly to the Commissioner of Police.

View the NSW Police Force Organisational Structure.

The purpose of the NSW Police Force is to work with the community to reduce crime and violence and improve public safety. The bulk of policing work is done by operational police at Police Area Commands (PACs) and Police Districts (PDs). Depending on their location and demographics, PACS and PD's can often have different demands placed upon them. Police work closely with their local community to tailor policing response to the needs of that community.

Specialist commands compliment local police. They provide further services that, at times, are required by PAC/PD to provide the community with the best possible policing response. Strike forces are formed when resources are needed to be concentrated on a particular crime or crime types such as drugs, murder or other organised crime.

Additional information and a breakdown of the NSW Police Force organisational units can be found here.

The Annual Report contains further information concerning the operations and financial affairs of the NSW Police Force.

The functions of the NSW Police Force have an effect on members of the public through the provision of services. These services include providing police services to New South Wales and exercises other functions conferred on it by the Police Act 1990 or any other Act. NSW Police Force will exercise its functions in an ethical manner including:

• Preventing, detecting and investigating crime,
• Monitoring and promoting road safety
• Maintaining social order, including coordination of counter-terrorist preparedness,
• Performing and coordinating emergency and rescue operations, subject to the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act 1989 and to the Essential Services Act 1988.

The NSW Police Force is committed to providing and maintaining responsive and meaningful customer service to both the community and staff.

The NSW Police Force holds the following categories of information:

• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Operational Policing
• Finance and Administration
• Professional Conduct
• NSWP Handbook (NSWPF Handbook is under review and will be available again shortly)
• Memorandums of Understanding (LAW)
• Corporate
• Property
• Safety

Note the list of policy documents held is regularly reviewed and assessed. Access may be gained to policy documents relating to each of the above categories, however certain material may be deleted from documents if it would have a substantial adverse effect on the effective performance by an agency of the agency's functions.

NSWPF has published a number of policies and procedures that may be of interest to members of the public. If you are unable to locate the information you are looking for, you may wish to make an application to the NSW Police Force under the provisions of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. Some policy documents are not made publicly available on the basis of there being an overriding public interest against their disclosure. Those policies are listed here.

The NSW Police Force produces a range of policy documents that impact on how police officers work with a range of communities on specific and general issues. These policies and guidelines are designed to raise community awareness of policing functions and accountabilities as well as to build the skills of police officers to understand and apply appropriate responses to community needs around crime prevention, reduction and safety. It is therefore important that community views and needs inform the content of such policies, where appropriate.

There are a number of strategies in place to ensure that this happens, including:

Tailored consultations with service providers and communities: Both as routine practice and in response to emerging issues and/or specific policy projects, the NSW Police Force will design consultations with communities to ensure they have the opportunity to influence NSW Police Force responses. Most of the corporate policies and operational guidelines that focus on specific community groups are developed by Operational Programs. The processes for developing these include identified and targeted consultation strategies to make sure those stakeholders who are affected by the policies and guidelines inform their content as far as practicable.

Corporate advisory Councils: A number of standing advisory Councils have been established to ensure that community views and emerging issues feed directly into systemic policy and operational planning. These include the Police and Aboriginal Strategic Advisory Council, Commissioner's Advisory Council on Culturally Responsive Policing and the NSW Police Force Disability Advisory Council.

Local advisory councils, inter-agencies and forums: Police Area Commands and Police Districts host and/or participate in a variety of local forums that allow them to hear community views and needs and factor them into local operational planning. These include Community Safety Precinct Committees, Local Area Command Aboriginal Consultative Committees and other forums especially established to address specific community concerns. They also participate in inter-agency forums designed to exchange information about emerging issues and good practice such as the Community Relations Commission Regional Advisory Councils. Communities have access to these forums where their views and needs regarding police responsiveness can be raised and considered by the NSW Police Force.

Participation in NSW Police Force policy development: Members of the public can contact the Customer Assistance Unit on 1800 622 571 or by email to customerassistance@police.nsw.gov.au to raise issues that are then referred to relevant business units for consideration in the formulation of policy and programs responses to communities and operational practice. Comments may also be submitted by post addressed to:

The Commissioner of Police,
Police Headquarters,
Locked Bag 5102,
Parramatta NSW 2124

NSW Police is required to keep a register of government contracts that record information about each contract that has, or is likely to have a value of $150,000 or more. Details concerning all NSW Police contracts are maintained by NSW e-Tendering.

NSW Police Force Tenders

For information regarding NSW Police Force Tenders go to NSW e-Tendering Tenders listed by specific agencies can be viewed using the list to the right of the NSW e-Tender homepage.

NSW Police is required to provide access to information about the agency that has been tabled in Parliament by or on behalf of the NSW Police. As such the following links are provided:

Tabled papers in Legislative Assembly

Tabled Papers in Legislative Council

Access to NSW Police Force information may be considered through lodgement of an application via Information Access Application (GIPA Act).