Australian Police

Australian Police

The Thin Blue Line – Australian Police

The Communications Group

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Commander Dan Dillon

The NSW Police Force 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 Force 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.

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4 thoughts on “The Communications Group

  • Linda Dowling

    Hi Guys – I am writing a book set in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. The offender is on the run but a local copper (off duty) down in Eden has spotted the offender’s number plate. He follows him into a servo and calls the police to get back up. How would detectives who are following the case get this news? back in that time

    Reply
    • The call would go to VKG Police radio then the job would be broadcast over the radio system as a code red job but turn off siren a few ks out from where the offender was last seen by the off duty NSWPF member . Regards Richard

      Reply
      • In the pre 2000 years, there was no such thing as Code Red, Code Blue.
        That system of Response was brought into being after several incidents which necessitated the implementation of that system.

        Reply
    • Back in the 1960s – 1970s, pre mobile phones, the Off Duty member would have to either directly stop at a phone box, or other convenient place ( the Servo ) that had a phone, and call Triple Zero or the local police station directly.
      The information would then go to either VKG or ( if he phoned the closest station and the lads were in the station at the time of the call ) the ‘crew’ would respond directly to the location nominated by the off duty member.
      Assuming that the Off Duty member is not known by the offender and assuming that the Off Duty member is cool enough to simple walk into the Servo ( assuming the offender is filling up his tank ), the Off Duty member would simply hang around for the arrival of the working ‘crew’.
      Depending upon the circumstances ( original offence(s)) – offender(s) aggression etc ) the Off Duty member would / could arrest the offender if the On Duty Crew do not arrive before the offender(s) are ready to leave.

      Cal

      Reply

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