South Australia Police

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The South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. It is an agency of the Government of South Australia within the South Australian Department of Justice.

Formally established in 1839, the force is the oldest in Australasia. Unlike other Australian police forces, which originally employed soldiers or former convicts, the South Australia Police enlisted only volunteers. This occurred because South Australia was the only free province on the continent.

The motto of the South Australia Police is: 'Leading the way to a safer community.'

For ceremonial activities and crowd control, the SA Police always use grey horses. They are bred and trained at a farm near Echunga in the Adelaide Hills. These Police 'Greys' as they are known, are ideal for Police work as the light grey tones make the horse highly visible at night.

1 Structure
- 1.1 Metropolitan Service Areas
- 1.2 Regional Service Areas
2 Ranks
3 Equipment
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Structure

South Australia Police divides the State into different sectors, known as Local Service Areas.

[edit] Metropolitan Service Areas

Adelaide LSA
- Adelaide Station [Headquarters, South Australia Police]
- Norwood Station
- Hindley Street Station
- North Adelaide Station
Port Adelaide LSA
- Port Adelaide Station
- Parks Station
- Henley Beach Station
Adelaide Hills LSA
- Woodside Station
- Strathalbyn Station
- Mt Barker Station
- Stirling Station
Sturt LSA
- Sturt Station [Southern Operations Command Centre]
- Glenelg Station
- Malvern Station
- Netley Station [Specialist Operations Centre - STAR Division]
- Marion Shopping Centre Response Unit
South Coast LSA
- Christies Beach Station
- Noarlunga Centre Response Unit
- McLaren Vale Station
- Aldinga Station
- Victor Harbour Station
- Kingscote Station [Kangaroo Island]
- Goolwa Station
- Yankalilla Station
Holden Hill LSA
- Holden Hill Station [Northern Operations Command Centre]
- St Agnes Station
- Para Hills Station
- Gumeracha Station
Elizabeth LSA
- Elizabeth Station
- Salisbury Station
- Two Wells Station
- Mallala Station
- Gawler Station

[edit] Regional Service Areas

Far North LSA
West Coast LSA
Mid West LSA
North East LSA
Barossa - York LSA
Riverland LSA
Hills - Murray LSA
South East LSA

[edit] Ranks

South Australian Police vehicle.

South Australian police officers on duty.

Commissioner (crossed tipstaves within a wreath below a crown)
Deputy Commissioner (crossed tipstaves within a wreath below a pip)
Assistant Commissioner (crossed tipstaves within a wreath)
Commander (three pips below a crown)
Chief Superintendent (two pips below a crown)
Superintendent (one pip below a crown)
Chief Inspector (crown)
Inspector (three pips)
Senior Sergeant (three chevrons below a crown)
Sergeant (three chevrons)
Brevet Sergeant (two chevrons below an inverted arrow head)
Senior Constable (two chevrons)
First Class Constable (one chevron)
Constable (blank epaulette)
Probationary Constable (blank epaulette)

All grades of Constable perform the same basic range of duties, with the rank only reflecting experience. The rank of Probationary Constable is held for the first eighteen months of service. A First Class Senior Constable is qualified for promotion to Sergeant.

A Sergeant normally manages a team during a shift. A Detective Sergeant is normally in charge of a team in a specific part of CIB. A Senior Sergeant oversees the Sergeants and does more paperwork than active patrol duties.

An Inspector is in charge of a department. A Detective Inspector is normally in charge of the whole station CIB. A uniform Inspector is normally in charge of the station's operations.

A Chief Inspector commands a department at station level. A uniform Chief Inspector is in charge of all uniformed officers, regardless of their attachments to assigned areas (e.g. general duties, traffic duties etc). A Detective Chief Inspector is in charge of all CIB related matters.

A Superintendent is a Station Commander.

A Chief Superintendent is a Regional Commander, in charge of a region, commonly known as a Local Service Area (LSA).

A Commander is in charge of a specific branch (e.g. CIB, General Operations, STAR (Special Tactics and Rescue) Division, Public Relations Office).

An Assistant Commissioner oversees all aspects of the operational sides of policing. An Assistant Commissioner is in charge of each Operation Areas (e.g. Northern Operations, Southern Operations).

The Deputy Commissioner is the assistant to the Commissioner, who commands the force.

[edit] Equipment

Radio & MDT console

In recent years, the South Australia Police upgraded their communication and dispatch systems, in line with the newly established South Australian Government Radio Network(SAGRN). The new radio network is a digitally encrypted broadcast, so amateur scanner listeners can't monitor SAPOL frequencies. Since the introduction of SAPOL onto the SAGRN, police vehicles have been fitted with new digital radios, and also Mobile Data Terminals (MDT's) which replaced Keyboard Data Terminals (KDT's).

The MDT is used for most policing duties carried out on vehicle patrol. Police officers are able to access a range of details about a person, along with vehicle identifications, and warnings about people and addresses. Other information including directions and road maps can also be extracted from the MDT unit. The MDT is also used to task police officers to duties while on patrol.

SA Police also have the use of several Field Command Vehicles which are used in a wide variety of ways, for example, as a mobile police station/unit at a large public function, or used to co-ordinate search & rescues, co-ordination of police duties - ie siege situations, or any other emergency situation that requires a cental command post.