Additional police officers have been allocated to the Cybercrime Squad as COVID-19 restrictions see a rise in cybercrime reports.
Eight additional investigators have been added to the Cybercrime Squad following a noticeable increase in online scams, including vendors selling personal protective equipment for vastly elevated prices.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said these officers would join thousands of others across the state helping the community through the pandemic.
“We have more than 17,000 police officers in NSW, who have been working around the clock to protect the community, including enforcing COVID-19 restrictions, overseeing quarantine hotels and patrolling our roads,” Ms Berejiklian.
“NSW has some of the finest police officers in the world, and every one of them has had a role to play in the fight against this pandemic, adapting to a fast-changing and unprecedented environment, implementing new policies, procedures and legislation.
“The NSW Police Force has played, and continues to play an incredibly important role during the pandemic, and we are grateful for their efforts.”
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said the new positions are part of the NSW Government’s $583 million investment in 1500 additional police over four years.
“The Premier, the Health Minister and I have been working in lock-step with the Police Commissioner over the past weeks and months and the work of our police can’t be faulted,” Mr Elliott said.
“NSW Police have laid 187 charges and issued more than 1200 Penalty Infringement Notices for non-compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, and have responded to around 17,000 calls to Crime Stoppers. As we start to ease restrictions across the state, the police will once again step up to ensure our citizens are safe.”
“On behalf of the NSW Government, I thank our Police Force for their unwavering service and commitment.”
