Police officers provide an essential service to our community. Their job can be dangerous and stressful, sometimes resulting in injuries and in the worst of cases, death.
Fortunately, fatalities are rare. However, injuries are not. In 2006-07, nearly 2,800 staff employed by the NSW Police Force reported injuries resulting in time off work. Some of these injuries were minor, but others required lengthy treatment and rehabilitation.
The way the NSW Police Force manages an injured officer directly affects the dignity and self-esteem of those injured, as well as the productivity and morale of other staff. It can also impact on the Force’s budget and the delivery of front line services.
Early rehabilitation and getting officers back to work as soon as possible is best for the officer, the Force and the community. While most fully recover, some do not and, wherever possible, are rehabilitated into other jobs in the Force. Others retire on medical grounds.
This audit examines how well the NSW Police Force manages injured officers.
Peter Achterstraat
Auditor-General
December 2008