Talk:New South Wales Police Force

Orphaned references in New South Wales Police Force
I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of New South Wales Police Force's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "ReferenceA": From State Protection Group:  From The Guardian: Audit Bureau of Circulations Ltd– abc.org.uk 

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT ⚡ 09:11, 20 September 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 22:04, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
 * NSW-Police.png

Possible removal of "Controversies" page
This section is underdeveloped. Content could perhaps be better incorporated into the "History" section, which already has information on historical controversies including the Wood Royal Commission. PatriotMusketeer7476 (talk) 05:52, 14 November 2022 (UTC)

Yeah 203.220.191.202 (talk) 06:34, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

Flag - is it official?
There is no cited reference to support the claim that any flag has been officially approved for the NSW Police. A pale blue on white with crest in the centre flag has been used on occasions but use does not make it either operational (approved by the commissioner or delegate) or official (approved by the government). Searches of sources, including a booklet published by the NSW government on flags of NSW reveal no reference to any NSW Police flag. Information on the Flags of the World website indicate that at one stage, several flags had been proposed for the NSW Police but no flag had been approved and most NSW Police facilities fly just the NSW state flag. The Flags of the World website referred to the pale blue on white flag as a "house flag". These statements clearly suggested that while the pale blue on white flag has been used, it is not official. Information from the source including a quote was added to the article and a reference with link to the source added but repeatedly deleted in excessive reversions by user Leftregister (who also trolled the editor to other articles and reverted their other edits). Even if the flag had been adopted within the NSW Police, as with the plethora of logos invented within NSW government agencies from the 1980s, many so lacking in wide recognition as to have no effect of conveying government authority, it would not have escaped section 4 of the State Arms, Symbols and Emblems Act 2004 and NSW government edict to standardize visual identity and branding on its adoption of the NSW government Waratah logo. Despite all of this, Leftregister objected to the deletion of the flag image from the article and also objected to its alternative inclusion in the section on banners, flags and pennants juxtaposed with relevant information rather than in the infobox. As a compromise, the flag image was retained in the infobox but tagged with "citation needed" to encourage users to find a source to support the claim that the flag is official but even that was also (unhelpfully) deleted by Leftregister. Leftregister again deleted not just the citation needed tag but several separate edits of unrelated material, targeting the editor rather than just the reasonable extent of changes to which Leftregister objected. Leftregister bizarrely suggests, in double-negative logic, that the editor find a source to prove the flag is not official. Governments and their agencies don't spend their resources publishing details of all the things that they have not done and are not official. Very apparently, the lack of a reliable source to support the claim is evidence of its negative. The citation needed tag is designed to be used to encourage users to find a source to resolve issues. I'd be satisfied if a user cited a source to substantiate the flag. Deleting the citation needed tag is just unhelpful.115.42.13.190 (talk) 11:49, 10 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Putting aside your disruptive behaviour and edit warring (forcefully making unsubstantiated changes to the accepted status quo without consensus or providing sources to back your changes), you have blatantly ignored the presence of the flag at official NSW Police events and ceremonies. If you believe a change should be made to a page, the obligation is on YOU to convince other editors via sources or appropriate reasoning to support and accept your changes, NOT the editors simply maintaining the status quo of the page. A quick google search wil reveal multiple examples of the flag being used:
 * https://narrabricourier.com.au/2022/07/14/local-police-honoured-at-medal-ceremony/
 * https://www.facebook.com/nswpoliceforce/photos/a.395208846184/10155953644711185/?type=3
 * https://newcastleweekly.com.au/former-lake-macquarie-detective-senior-sergeant-patrick-crass-awarded-apm/
 * https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/3FRrb3AuBjKJGNhBeTSDxy/d46f7eab-f54f-48ae-bf54-c4ca20dc3a49.jpg/r0_152_4032_2921_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
 * https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/175630965/90508c1e-12a3-45a2-8c5f-af7c022e9b89.JPG/r472_484_3865_3029_w4032_h3024_fmax.jpg
 * https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/6504750/police-awards-presentation/
 * https://www.facebook.com/nswpoliceforce/photos/nsw-police-proudly-participate-in-the-2016-sydney-mardi-gras-parade/10153617732006185/?paipv=0&eav=AfbCGlT3n22bFOs-daS3-RFIlutJRRLbKEsx9tDPHIT0SKjKFVphS1BUaKH-KAwei18&_rdr Leftregister (talk) 04:15, 11 February 2024 (UTC)

Vandal! Leftregister has repeatedly deleted references and links to sources to revert to their POV. My edits to the article and my discussion above in this Talk page have acknowledged that the flag had been used but what is dubious is whether the flag is official. As to a google search revealing "examples of the flag being used", Internet searches also reveal uses of other unapproved and unofficial NSW Police flags, including a rainbow coloured flag with NSW Police badge. So, records of use do not substantiate the status of the flag. The Flags of the World website suggests the flag is not official and refers to it as merely a "house flag". This source was quoted, cited and linked in the article but deleted by Leftregister in their determination to maintain their unsubstantiated POV. There is no valid reason to delete a citation needed tag. The citation needed tag should only be removed when a supporting citation is provided, that is its whole purpose. Leftregister just wants to suppress that a citation cannot be provided to support their POV.

I suggest, Leftregister stops being malicious and allows edits of other material that are supported by references or merely sensible and reasonable rewordings and that the citation needed tag to the flag is restored to encourage users to find a supporting source and resolve the issue.115.42.13.190 (talk) 08:58, 11 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Simply accusing others of vandalism without any substantiated claims will not actually make it true, nor will it actually get other editors on your side. Ironically, your repeated efforts to make unsourced changes to this page without seeking any form of consensus or initial discussion is more fitting of the vandalism label. (Flags of the World isn't a reliable source in this context either btw). Once again, it is YOUR obligation to obtain a consensus and provide evidence if you would like to make changes to the accepted status quo of a page, NOT the person maintaining it.
 * Any changes to the page in fact (even including the introduction of a "citation needed" tag) CAN be challenged and removed if consensus has not been gained first. You have very clearly demonstrated your inability to do this.
 * If you really are seeking to get others editors on your side, you're really not doing yourself any favours by being petulant and nasty Leftregister (talk) 10:42, 11 February 2024 (UTC)