Police Engagement

This chapter applies to all music festivals in NSW. It covers planning and operational responsibilities in relation to law enforcement engagement and crime prevention across the full event lifecycle, including events with past incidents, drug detection history, or complex infrastructure requiring formal police engagement.

This chapter covers your planning and operational responsibilities for festival organisers regarding NSW Police engagement, spanning from first contact through to post-event compliance.

This chapter covers:

• Police Engagement: The process of collaborating with your Police Area Command (PAC) from pre-event planning through to the post-event review.
• User-Pays Policing: Determining when user-pays services apply, managing cost projections, and navigating the dispute resolution process.
• The LESS Process: Requirements for the Law Enforcement and Safety Schedule (LESS) for festivals mandated to have an agreed Health and Medical Plan (HMP).
• Operational Boundaries: Defining the division of roles and responsibilities between NSW Police and private security personnel.
• Crime Prevention: Implementing site-level strategies, including Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), management of prohibited items, and contraband control.

User-pays policing is a significant budget item that many organisers underestimate or discover late. Build police costs into budgets from the earliest planning stages.

What drives cost:

• Officer hours (rates set annually by NSW Police — See: NSW Police User Fees and Charges) and number of officers
• Specialist units (drug detection dogs, counter-terrorism advisory if applicable)
• Supervision and command personnel
• Vehicle and equipment costs
• Minimum shift blocks

Hidden costs organisers frequently miss:

• Planning meeting time (officer hours for pre-event liaison) may be charged
• Post-event reporting and debrief time
• Reconciliation adjustments if actual deployment differs from estimate
• Traffic enforcement on approach roads may be partially attributed to event

Where NOT to cut costs: Do not attempt to reduce police engagement in ways that increase public safety risk.

The NSW Police Force User Fees and Charges Policy states "clients are expected to take likely user charge costs into account in planning and budgeting for their event, such as the setting of ticket prices."

If there is a dispute about police engagement scope or costs during planning:

1. Request a clarification meeting with the Operations Inspector or relevant Region Planning Unit — present specific evidence
2. Submit a formal written dispute to the PAC Region Commander if informal resolution fails
3. If not resolved through direct engagement and internal review with NSW Police, you can apply to the NSW Government music festivals panel no less than 8 weeks before the festival — See: Applying to the Music Festivals Appeal Panel

AFA cannot overturn individual cost decisions but can facilitate dialogue with NSW Police at an industry level.

Dispute Requirements: All dispute communication must be in writing from both p and based on risk mitigation. If you are asking for fewer police officers or resources, you must clearly explain in writing how you will manage those safety risks instead.

NSW Police Invoicing and Payment Terms

When budgeting and planning your cash flow, keep the following NSW Police payment rules in mind:

• Standard Timelines: You will receive a tax invoice within 7 working days after your event concludes. Standard payment is due within 30 days of receiving this invoice.
• Upfront Payment Demands: NSW Police can vary these terms and require upfront, full, or partial payment before the event. This typically applies to new festival organisers, those with an unfavourable payment history, or events demonstrating high financial risk.
• Non-Payment: Any unpaid balances can be legally recovered by the Commissioner as a debt, including accumulated interest.

For full details on payment variations and schedules, refer to the NSW Police Force Cost Recovery & User Charges Policy (p. 14).

When to Notify Police of a Drug-Related Incident:

When Police Assume Operational Control:

Early engagement is the single most effective tool for managing police costs and building a cooperative relationship.

Contact your Police Area Command (PAC) early in the planning process (4-6 months before your event). Provide:

• Nature, type and genre of entertainment
• Alcohol Management Plan & Liquor Licence
• Site plan (stages, bars, medical facilities, security posts, entry/exit points, vehicle routes)
• Expected patron numbers
• Previous event incident reports and medical presentation data
• Security plan including contractor details and deployment numbers
• Harm reduction measures in place
• Emergency management plan and communications structure
• Traffic management plan (if applicable)

Contact your Police Area Command for their expected timeline.

See further: 7.1 Minimum Lead Times

Organisers may request police presence for specific services (traffic control, drug detection, high-visibility patrols). Requests submitted to PAC Operations Inspector or Region Planning Unit.

Police may also be assigned to events regardless of organiser preference, based on:

• Event risk classification
• Local intelligence
• Music Festivals Act triggers
• PAC Commander's assessment of community safety

See: NSW Police Force Cost Recovery and User Charges Policy

As per the Policy, "when requesting user charges services, the client must provide NSW Police Force with a completed 'Notice and Request for Services' form in accordance with the prescribed notice period set out below:

• For a minor cultural/sporting event - at least 60 days prior to the event.
• For a major cultural/sporting event - at least 90 days prior notice to the event. A major event is one lasting for more than one day, requiring more than ten police, and/or an event that crosses the boundaries of the PAC/PD or which poses unusual risk or logistical challenges.
• For a major event as defined in the section on ‘Major events of state and/or national significance’ – six-monthly or annual planning cycles required.

See: NSW Police Force User Pays Policing Services page for guidance on user-pays services, request forms, exemption and reduction applications, and information for event organisers seeking police services.

Under normal operations, the event organiser retains operational control of the site. Police perform law enforcement functions.

Control may transfer to the Police Forward Commander when:

• Public order cannot be maintained by security alone
• A criminal investigation requires police site control
• A terrorism threat is identified
• An evacuation requires police command and control or traffic management
• SEOCON activates major incident protocols

Coordination mechanisms:

• Police Liaison Officer (PLO) co-located in Event Control Centre during operations
• Agreed radio channels and escalation terminology
• Regular situation reports (SitReps) between Police Forward Commander and Event Controller
• Joint briefings pre-event with security, medical, and operations teams
• Hot debrief immediately after significant incidents; formal cold debrief post-event

Planning Phase Roles

Police roles during planning:

• Risk assessment collaboration and event classification
• Operational Order development specifying deployment, times, locations
• Traffic management plan review
• Counter-terrorism briefings for high-profile events
• Intelligence sharing on known risks
• Advising on protective security measures (including hostile vehicle mitigation)
• Alcohol Management,
• Liquor Licensing,
• Security Management
• Determining the number of officers required to be deployed to maintain order.

Police do NOT do during planning:

• Approve or reject event concepts (that is a council and licensing authority function)
• Select or manage security contractors (organiser responsibility)
• Design site layouts or crowd flow (organiser/specialist consultant responsibility)
• Guarantee specific resourcing levels — police availability is subject to competing operational demands

On-Ground Operational Roles

Police roles during the event:

• Law enforcement: arrests, drug detection operations, criminal investigations and crime scene management
• Licensing compliance
• Public order management when security capacity is exceeded
• Traffic enforcement on public roads
• Emergency response coordination including assumption of Incident Controller role
• Liaison through PLO in Event Control Centre

Police do NOT do during operations:

• Perform bag searches or access screening (security contractor responsibility unless specific police operation is underway)
• Manage site operations or patron flow (organiser/security responsibility unless major incident)
• Make operational event decisions (show stop, evacuation timing) unless control formally transferred

Security contractors are the primary operational interface between patrons and police at music festivals. Understanding the boundary between security and police responsibilities is essential: security manages the venue; police enforce the law.

All security personnel at NSW festivals must hold a current licence under the Security Industry Act 1997. Organisers are responsible for verifying this.

For security contractor planning, deployment requirements, selection criteria, responsibilities, the security-to-police escalation framework, and incident register operational guidance, see the Security chapter.

Required data fields:

• Date, time, and specific location of incident
• Incident type: assault, theft, ejection, drug seizure, weapons confiscation, missing person, sexual offence, property damage
• Brief description of what occurred
• Actions taken (ejection, police notification, medical handover)
• Whether police attended, and if so, officer details and crime reference number
• Outcome or resolution
• Reporting officer name

See list of Notifiable incident categories: NSW Government — Music Festival Common Questions

The recording window runs from when the festival commences until 1 hour after it stops operating.

The register must be available for inspection by a police officer, health officer, or L&GNSW inspector, including permitting copies to be made or the register to be removed.

To ensure incident records can withstand a formal investigation or coronial scrutiny, registers must be accurately maintained alongside proper staff sign-on logs and valid security licensing. For clear guidance on meeting these requirements, refer to the NSW Police Force fact sheets on Incident Registers, Sign-on Registers, and Security Licence Compliance.

Purpose: Deterrence, incident investigation, crowd monitoring, dispute resolution.

Priority coverage areas:

• Entry and exit gates (timestamped record of all persons entering)
• Main stages and high-density areas
• Campsite perimeters and main pathways
• Bars and cash-handling areas
• Backstage / production zones
• Bag drop and locker areas

RECOMMENDED: Live monitoring in Event Control Centre with security staff reviewing feeds. Direct patrols to emerging incidents in real time. Provide footage to police promptly on request.

Privacy: Avoid continuous monitoring of genuinely private spaces (inside individual tents, inside toilet cubicles). Apply a minimum 30-day retention period for footage; longer for evidential material from incidents.

Common mistakes:

• Installing cameras without signage (legal compliance failure; footage may be inadmissible)
• Poor lighting making footage unusable (pair cameras with lighting or use infrared-capable equipment)
• No retention policy, footage deleted before an incident is reported
• Unrestricted staff access to footage (privacy breach and potential defamation risk)

Common patterns:

• Tent and campsite theft (overnight and during peak stage periods)
• Bag dipping and pickpocketing in dense crowd areas
• Vehicle break-ins in parking areas
• Equipment theft during bump-in and bump-out

Prevention measures by area:

Campsites: Regular overnight security patrols; well-lit pathways; lockable storage for valuables; pre-event patron messaging ("Don't bring valuables you can't afford to lose; use lockers").

Crowd areas: Staff briefed to recognise pickpocketing behaviours (individuals watching bags not performance); "Watch your belongings" messaging on screens and at entry.

Parking: High-visibility patrol presence; lighting; "Remove valuables" signage; access control for non-patrons.

Production and equipment: Tool issue/return log; lockable compounds overnight; controlled access to backstage areas.

When theft is reported:

1. Record in Security Incident Register
2. Review CCTV if coverage exists
3. Notify police if offender is identified or value is significant
4. Direct victim to lost and found before assuming theft (many "thefts" are misplaced items)

Prohibited items must be communicated clearly via entry signage and pre-event communications.

Bag searches are conducted by security with patron consent. Refusal means refusal of entry. Security cannot conduct body searches — this is a police power under LEPRA.

Drug detection dogs are police-operated and require a police presence. Organisers do not deploy detection dogs independently.

Handling drugs found during entry screening:

• Refusal to surrender — patron refused entry, no police notification required unless other concerns exist
• Quantity or circumstances suggesting supply — notify police

Drug checking cooperation (where applicable):

Note: The trial provided drug checking services at 12 music festivals in NSW during a 12-month trial. The trial is now being independently evaluated.

For events participating in NSW Health drug-checking services:

• Minimise police presence in and around drug checking areas — this encourages patron engagement with health services
• Drug checking is a health intervention, not a law enforcement intelligence tool — separation of these functions is essential
• Establish agreed communication protocols between the drug checking service, organiser, and police

See: Harm Reduction & Welfare chapter for full drug checking planning guidance.

Weapons: Always notify police. Security may detain for immediate handover. Log in Security Incident Register. Do not return weapons to individuals.

Cybercrime and Fraud:

• Fake tickets: Use unique per-ticket QR codes or barcodes; clearly identify official ticketing partner in all communications; train entry staff to identify suspicious or duplicate tickets
• Cashless fraud: Encrypted RFID chips; real-time transaction monitoring; secure top-up kiosks
• Phishing: Register event-related domain names proactively; SSL on all official sites; patron education ("We will never ask for passwords by email")
• Unauthorised access via social engineering: All staff wear visible ID at all times; challenge anyone without a valid pass; restrict Event Control access to authorised personnel only

Legislative or regulatory requirement. Non-compliance carries legal risk.

🔴 Security Incident Register: You must maintain an accurate Security Incident Register from the moment the festival starts until 1 hour after it stops operating, and make it available for immediate official inspection.

🔴 Search Jurisdictional Hard Stops: Private security must strictly limit checks to bags and outer clothing with patron consent; any form of body or strip search is an exclusive power held by NSW Police under LEPRA.

These are the standards that government agencies and the sector expect operators to meet. Regulators, courts, and insurers may reference them when assessing your practice.

🟡 Written Disputes: All communication regarding police cost or resource disputes must be in writing and explicitly explain how you will alternatively manage safety risks if police numbers are reduced.

🟡 Appeals Panel Deadline: Any formal application to the Music Festivals Appeal Panel regarding government charges must be submitted no less than 8 weeks before the festival.

🟡 Staff Vetting: You should perform photo ID verification for all staff/contractors and verify AHPRA registration for medical personnel.

🟡 Invoice Payment: You are expected to pay the standard user-pays police tax invoice within 30 days of receiving it post-event

🟡 72-Hour Change Premium: You must submit all final rosters, service adjustments, and area changes to police at least 72 hours before the event to avoid high-cost short-notice labour rates.

Practices representing mature and sector-leading operational delivery. They go beyond what regulators require or expect, representing genuine opportunities to improve patron experience, reduce harm, and demonstrate sector leadership.

🟢 Pre-Event Prohibited Comms: Publish your prohibited items list prominently across ticket confirmation emails, social media, and websites to minimize gate delays and confrontations.

Interagency Structures

Festivals operate within NSW's emergency management framework. Key bodies:

• State Emergency Operations Controller (SEOCON): Coordinates state-level emergency response for major incidents
• Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs): Local-level multi-agency coordination between emergency services, councils, and community organisations
• NSW Police Event Command: Designated Forward Commander and Liaison Officer structure for planned events
• Combat Agencies: NSW Ambulance, Fire & Rescue NSW, Rural Fire Service, NSW SES — roles vary by incident type

The Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) is used by NSW emergency services for incident command and control. Organisers should understand that their authority is operational; command may transfer to police or another combat agency when a major incident occurs.

RACI Key: R = Responsible (does the work) · A = Accountable (final authority) · C = Consulted · I = Informed

Selecting a qualified security contractor is one of the most consequential decisions an organiser makes. The right contractor understands the festival environment, maintains the incident register correctly, and has clear escalation protocols for police handover.

For selection criteria, vetting requirements, tender considerations, and what distinguishes a festival-qualified security provider, see: Security chapter.

This table combines statutory deadlines, policy-mandated notice periods, and recommended best practice planning lead times. Where a deadline is set by legislation or policy, compliance is not optional — build in additional lead time wherever possible. Confirm specific requirements with your Police Area Command.

See also: NSW Government Planning A Music Festival

See: Music Festivals Act (NSW) chapter for further details on mandatory interagency timelines.

• Risk assessment based on incomplete information leads to over-cautious (higher cost) resourcing
• Insufficient time to negotiate or challenge cost estimates
• Rushed induction and briefing processes for joint operations
• Relationship friction that affects operational cooperation during the event

Monitor during the event:

• Security incident register entries by type and location (identify emerging hotspots in real time)
• Police attendance callouts — frequency and incident types
• CCTV monitoring flags and patrol dispatches
• Drug seizures
• Missing persons reports (timing, resolution)
• User-pays officer hours being accrued vs estimate

Post-Event Debrief Questions

• How many incidents did police respond to during the event, broken down by response type: Operational Support Group (OSG) incidents, crowd controllers, and traffic controllers?
• What were the most common incident types and locations?
• How many arrests were made, and for what offences?
• How many assists did police provide to security, including assisting with evictions?
• Did the pre-event risk assessment align with the reality on event day?
• Were there any incidents or patterns that should inform the risk assessment for the next event?
• Were there any areas where the organiser's planning or operations could have reduced the demand on police resources?
• Did the security incident register capture all relevant incidents, or were there gaps?
• Did CCTV coverage support investigation of incidents that occurred?
• Were user-pays costs in line with the estimate? If not, why?
• Were communication protocols between security, police, and Event Control effective? Any recommended changes?
• Were there any incidents that should be reported to regulators or flagged for licensing review?

As a best practice, keep detailed records of medical and security incidents that may later be required for investigations, coronial matters or accountability reviews. This should include the type and severity of medical presentations (e.g. alcohol-related, drug-related or injury-related incidents), as well as refused entries and patron ejections.

• Security Incident Register retained for minimum 3 years
• Post-event report submitted to licensing authorities if required by event conditions
• Serious incidents (death, serious injury) notified to relevant authorities as required (See Contingency & Emergency Planning)
• User-pays reconciliation with NSW Police following event

Security staff:

• Current Security Industry Act licence (MANDATORY)
• Site-specific induction covering: escalation thresholds, radio protocols, incident register, CCTV locations, police liaison contact
• Briefing on drug checking service protocols (if applicable) — understand role is not law enforcement around welfare services

Event staff and supervisors:

• Recognise signs of vulnerability (isolated, intoxicated, distressed patrons)
• Escalation pathways for missing persons, sexual assault disclosures, welfare concerns
• Lost child protocol (where applicable)

• Establish dedicated radio channels for security and agree patch-through protocol to Police Liaison Officer for priority incidents
• Agree terminology: avoid codes that differ between security and police, use plain language for incident types
• Confirm Police Liaison Officer contact details and location before gates open
• Brief all department heads on when and how to escalate to Event Control vs directly to police

⚠️ Mistake: Treating police and security as interchangeable

Result: Security staff attempt to conduct drug searches without consent, or organisers expect police to manage patron flow and screening. Operational confusion, potential legal liability, and breakdown in incident response.

What to do instead: Define roles in writing before the event. Hold a joint briefing with security management and the Police Forward Commander. Make the escalation matrix explicit and distribute to all supervisors.

⚠️ Mistake: Incomplete Security Incident Register

Result: Police investigation into a patron assault is hampered because the initial security response wasn't logged. Coronial inquiry finds no documentation of a missing person report made two hours before a patron was found in a critical condition.

What to do instead: Make logging non-negotiable. Every incident, however minor, gets a register entry at the time it occurs. Conduct a live audit mid-event to confirm the register is being maintained correctly.

⚠️ Mistake: Not telling patrons about prohibited items until they reach the gate

Result: Long queues, confrontation at entry, goodwill damage, delayed gate opening.

What to do instead: Publish prohibited item list prominently in booking confirmation emails, on the event website, and on social media pre-event. Amnesty bins 50 metres before the entry checkpoint allow voluntary surrender without queue disruption.

NSW Police Force Resources

Government Guidelines

In the case of a life threatening or time critical emergency, please call Triple Zero (000).