Assistant Commissioner (AC) Stuart Smith joined the NSW Police Force in 1986 and received his designation as a detective in 1991.
In his over 36 years of policing to date, AC Smith has led and managed a range of diverse teams, incorporating sworn and unsworn staff, in a variety of operational situations and events, earning him many prestigious awards.
Some notable highlights include leading police to restore community confidence after significant civil disorder in 2006 as Commander at Orana Local Area Command. This resulted in then Superintendent Smith receiving the Commissioners Citation Award for Bravery in Leadership – ‘Indigenous Policing Response’ – recommended by the NSW Ombudsman.
In 2009, when Operations Manager, South West Metropolitan, then Superintendent Smith led over 300 NSWPF officers to Victoria as part of Operation TAMBUS, which coordinated the NSWPF’s provision of support to the Victorian community after the Black Saturday Bushfires tragedy. For his leadership, AC Smith was awarded the Commissioner’s Safety Award.
In 2013, as Commander, Traffic and Highway Patrol, Acting AC Smith led the joint agency investigation and prosecution of several large transport companies involved in corrupt practices. These complex investigations resulted in numerous changes to safety practices in the industry and specifically, the creation of quality assurance roles within the transport sector. AC Smith’s work was recognised by the Australian College of Road Safety, as he received finalist honours in the 2014 Heavy Vehicle Compliance Operations award category.
For establishing the current business model ‘Eye Watch’, which has enhanced policing response via social media, AC Smith received an Australian Business Award for ‘Project Management & Innovation’.
As the designer and developer of many key strategic and safety projects implemented by the NSWPF, AC Smith has been presented with no less than six awards for leadership in safety design.
From 2019, AC Smith as the Commander of State Crime Command led several significant working parties to develop the NSWPF sexual violence strategy, response to missing persons, national review of Joint Management Groups (Commonwealth) and the national framework and delivery project for investigation of crime involving cryptocurrency as well NSWPF cyber capability.
Has appeared on Q & A (ABC) as the key law enforcement quest as part of a national debate on pill testing at dance festivals.
In addition, AC Smith has sat on numerous committees and boards within the NSWPF, including Chair of the NSW Detectives Board, JMG Committee, Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee (SOCCC) and Crime Stoppers. AC Smith has been appointed NSWPF corporate sponsor for Domestic and Family Violence.
Since April 2022, AC Smith has been the Commander of South West Metropolitan Region as is currently leading the reform of Policing Domestic and Family Violence in New South Wales.
