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waste NSW STATE NSW Police Force
$155.0M

NSW Police Technology Program: $155M Spent, One System Replaced

NSW Police spent $155M across 2021-2025 but replaced only 1 of 5 core legacy systems. A contractor was terminated in 2022, delivery slipped four years to June 2031, and the full program now requires $493M — $165M more than originally estimated. The NSW Auditor-General described the program as "inefficient and ineffective."

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What This Means

$155.0M of Australian taxpayer money was wasted at NSW Police Force. NSW Police spent $155M across 2021-2025 but replaced only 1 of 5 core legacy systems. A contractor was terminated in 2022, delivery slipped four years to June 2031, and the full program now requires $493M — $165M more than originally estimated. The NSW Auditor-General described the program as "inefficient and ineffective."

Spread across Australia's 10.8 million households, that's roughly $14 per family — enough in total for funding 103 fully equipped school classrooms.

  • The NSW Police Integrated Policing Operating System (IPOS) project began in 2018 with five core legacy systems requiring replacement at an estimated $328M.
  • By 2026, $155M had been spent and only one system was fully replaced.
  • A primary contractor was terminated in 2022 for non-performance.
Amount Spent
$155,000,000
Original Estimate
$328,000,000
Waste / Overrun
$155,000,000
Cost Overrun
-53%

Analysis

The NSW Police Integrated Policing Operating System (IPOS) project began in 2018 with five core legacy systems requiring replacement at an estimated $328M. By 2026, $155M had been spent and only one system was fully replaced. A primary contractor was terminated in 2022 for non-performance. Governance collapsed after termination. The program was reset mid-2024 under a new vendor framework with delivery now targeted for June 2031 — four years late. Full program cost now estimated at $493M. NSW Auditor-General Report #424 (11 May 2026) — "Upgrades to core policing technology" — found poor planning, weak financial controls, lack of post-termination governance, and continued reliance on outdated legacy platforms that create operational and data integrity risks.

Sources

https://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/
Category: waste
Severity: high
Agency: NSW Police Force
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