NSW Police revealed on Thursday that 34 LACs in regional NSW would be replaced by 26 new police districts.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Shoalhaven LAC will be consolidated with the Far South Coast LAC to form a new “South Coast Police District”.
The South Coast Police District will span an area from the southern edge of the Lake Illawarra zone to the Victorian border.
The new model, dubbed a re-engineering of the state’s police force, was announced by the NSW Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller, and Deputy Commissioner of Regional Field Operations, Gary Worboys.
“A large aspect of re-engineering is putting more police back on the frontline and a flexible workforce is a good outcome for regional communities,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“The new police district model has been designed to significantly improve our capability to service regional NSW.”
Deputy Commissioner Worboys said regional and rural communities wanted to know who their local police were, as well as who was in charge of their police station.
“We will see a return to the officer in charge model throughout regional police stations overseen by a Commander at the district office,” Deputy Commissioner Worboys said.
“This model allows for a more dynamic and flexible approach to investigations, proactive operations and focussing on important community issues like domestic and family violence and mid-level drug supply.
“Police who live and work in regional towns are often heavily involved in the local community. Their job is enhanced by being part of that community.”
The Orana Mid-Western Police District is the first of the new areas to begin next month.
The other districts will be progressively switched on during the coming months. All of them are expected to be rolled out by early next year.
RELATED COVERAGE