The NSW Police
Service operates five communications centres throughout the state of
NSW, located at:
VKG1 - Sydney: radio broadcasts to metropolitan
area (includes Penrith)
VKG2 - Warilla: south to
the Victorian border, including Monaro
VKG3 -
Newcastle: north to the Queensland border
VKG4 -
Wagga Wagga: from the Southern Alps to SA
border
VKG5 - Tamworth: from west of the
Dividing Range to SA border.
These communications centres are under the direct control of
their own centre managers. Each centre manager is responsible to the
commander of the Communications Group, who is also responsible for
specialist units including Telecommunications, Training &
Development, Radio Networks Services and associated Communications
Group Administrative units.
Communications centres are staffed by police and civilian
communications officers, who coordinate a variety of incidents
ranging from routine police matters to highly volatile situations
including sieges, major industrial and natural disasters, as well as
high speed pursuits.
Communications centres have access to a whole range of external
resources, in addition to the exhaustive list of specialist police
units which can assist operational police carry out their duties.
NSW Police Communication centres provide a range of services
including:
- radio coordination and despatch of police resources to
incidents
- 24 hour answering of 000 emergency calls made to police
- 24 hour answering of non urgent calls made to police
- rescue coordination
- incident management
- after hours advisory, referral and callout service for police
- contact with other emergency service and public safety
organisations
- radio equipment technical maintenance
- radio engineering services.
The NSW Police Service operates Private Mobile Radio (PMR)
systems. In general terms, the east coast of the State uses analogue
UHF conventional radio networks and other areas of the state use
analogue VHF conventional networks, and in a very limited capacity
within the far west areas, HF and satellite communications.
Mobile satellite telephones (mobilesats) have been installed at a
number of police stations in the far west of the State where police
radio of any description is nonexistent. The first installation was
at Tibooburra, provided by Optus and fitted by the Royal Flying
Doctor Service.
Other police stations with a mobilesat include Dareton, Hillston,
Ivanhoe, Hay, Wanaaring, Enngonia, Cobar, Numagee, Goodooga,
Collarenebri, Broken Hill, Dubbo and Carinda. Mobilesats have a
coverage (footprint) of the whole of Australia, New Guinea and New
Zealand.
For general policing purposes in UHF area, the nationally
allocated 450-470MHz block of frequencies are used. In the Greater
Sydney area, there are approximately 85 base sites supporting about
120 base stations for general policing requirements. A further 19
base stations are used for covert activities.
In country areas of New South Wales, there are approximately 477
base sites.
