Overhaul for ‘antiquated’ system as police vests vanish
An “antiquated” paper-based system used to track equipment in Australia’s largest police force is slated for replacement after the disappearance of several ballistic vests.
The tracing of NSW Police equipment has come under intense scrutiny since a then-serving officer allegedly murdered his ex-partner and another man with his police-issue gun in February.
Since then, an unspecified number of ballistic vests – considered a prohibited weapon in the state – remain unaccounted for, prompting another equipment audit.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Tuesday said she was in talks with Police Minister Yasmin Catley about introducing an up-to-date system for tracking police equipment.
“We’re currently operating in an antiquated, paper-based spreadsheet system,” she told reporters.
The electronic system could “of course” be used to track other equipment, such as weapons, Ms Webb added.
Police confirmed “a number” of vests had gone missing in a statement issued on Friday after independent MP and prominent Webb critic Rod Roberts told parliament he had been advised up to 1500 were missing.
“People fail to recognise the significance of these missing, bulletproof vests … but this is a matter of public safety and security,” Mr Roberts said.
Ms Webb did not reveal how many vests were missing, instead saying she had called for a further audit so that she could have confidence in the numbers as there were more than 20,000 vests issued to officers across the state.
Ms Catley in November told a parliamentary budget estimates hearing she wanted to make sure police had the best systems available after long-running delays to upgrades on the decades-old computer system used to log police events.
“The last thing we need in NSW is antiquated systems,” she said at the time.
The latest pledge to review and upgrade police systems comes as the state tries to recruit more officers to fill persistent workforce shortages.
Training payments and attempts to poach experienced police from interstate or overseas have already been launched, while an NRL fixture in September will also form part of the job pitch.
Helicopters, dogs and the riot squad will be involved in putting on a show at the inaugural event at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium to honour emergency services workers.
“It’s absolutely a recruitment drive as well,” Ms Catley said on Tuesday.
Paramedics, firefighters, surf lifesavers and other volunteer rescue service members will have to wait another year for the chance to showcase their skills to the crowd.
Police will play firefighters as a curtain raiser before the Sydney Roosters play the Canberra Raiders in the men’s and women’s NRL.
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