If you’ve called triple-zero and endured an anxious wait for police to respond, you may not be alone, according to new data released by the state’s Productivity Commission.
Figures revealed that across the Chifley Police Area Command, of which Cowra is a part, the average response time in 2024-25 was one of the slowest in the state at nearly 15 minutes.
Chifley PAC was in the top 10 slowest responding local area commands, alongside the Orana-Mid Western at 15 minutes, 11 seconds, Mid North Coast, 16 minutes and 46 seconds, Murrumbidgee at 16 minutes 20 seconds, and the Water Police, reaching 15 minutes and 40 seconds for an average response time to a priority call
Across the state, a benchmark of 12 minutes is the goal for officers responding to a priority or emergency call, with most rural and regional PAC’s falling below that number.
A spokesperson for NSW Police said community safety was the first priority, with staff striving to meet expectations surrounding response times, with many factors affecting how quickly police can attend a job.
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“Urgent response times can be affected by various factors, including the number of urgent calls, distance of required travel, traffic congestion, weather events, and peak periods,” they said.
“Response times can also be affected when prioritising certain high-risk jobs such as domestic violence or life-threatening incidents.
“These factors also vary depending on the location, which subsequently impacts the individual benchmark set for that police district or command.”
The spokesperson explained that response times are assisted by computer-aided dispatch systems, which help prioritise responses based on triple-zero calls.
“Every Police District Commander is accountable for meeting the individual target response time for their district based on their First Response Agreements, which are benchmarked on international standards,” the spokesperson said.
“Importantly, all local resources are supplemented by other police resources … who are managed centrally but can be deployed across boundaries to meet the changing community needs and respond to changing crime patterns and emerging issues.”
The spokesperson added that since paid recruitment was announced in October 2023, the Chifley Police District gained 3 new probationary constables, enhancing the policing response.
The report also detailed that police responded to more than 218,500 calls in 2024-25, up from 147,913 over the last five years.
