NSW Police Radio – Future of Metropolitan Operations – March 2018 (PDF version)

After a long period of rumours about the future of the Police Radio Centre at Penrith, the PSA was invited to a meeting with the OCI Command of NSW Police to discuss the initiation of scoping and consulting on future changes.

The main purpose was to begin discussions about whether, and if so how, the operations of the two metropolitan Radio Operation Group sites could be collapsed into a single centre. After questioning from the PSA, the possibility of such a merger taking place either into the current Penrith centre or into the current Surry Hills centre was explicitly ruled out.

With no current site in mind, NSW Police is beginning an examination of how such a future for ROG could be set up at a greenfield site within the metropolitan area and what the considerations of members working at such a site would be. These considerations would include amenities such as proximity to public transport, access to parking, local food outlets and general neighbourhood, and geographical convenience for current workforce.

There are a number of factors the Command is juggling in ensuring the long term future of Police Radio, including:

• Technological disruptors coming to communications in the coming years
• Difficulty of staffing Surry Hills
• Possibility of the Government Radio Network being implemented
• The need to introduce next generation CAD
• The possibility of introducing next generation 000.

It was confirmed that this process was independent of re-engineering and had no predetermined outcomes. It was also not motivated by cutting jobs. There are no current plans for changes to regional centres on the table.

The Command intends to put out a discussion paper in the coming weeks outlining the operational requirements into the future and possible changes. PSA delegates and staff will be involved in every step of the consultative process and will liaise with members to collate feedback.

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