Additional police officers have been allocated to the Cybercrime Squad as COVID-19 restrictions see a rise in cybercrime reports.
NSW Police said eight additional investigators had been added to the Squad following a noticeable increase in online scams, including vendors selling personal protective equipment for vastly elevated prices.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the cypercrime officers would join thousands of other police officers across the State to help the community through the pandemic.
“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,” Ms Berjiklian said.
“The NSW Police Force has played, and continues to play an incredibly important role during the pandemic, and we are grateful for their efforts,” she said.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott said the new positions were part of the Government’s $583 million allocation for 1,500 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 1,200 Penalty Infringement Notices for non-compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, and have responded to around 17,000 calls to Crime Stoppers,” he said.
“As we start to ease restrictions across the state, the police will once again step up to ensure our citizens are safe.”
Mr Elliott thanked the NSW Police Force for their unwavering service and commitment.
