Australia 1987: The first Australian police service to introduce videotaping of "suspect person" interviews 1993: Introduced Operation Nomad, as a policing initiative to reduce the threat of bushfires 1996: Crime Stoppers launched 2000s: Established neighbourhood policing teams in various metropolitan areas 2011: The first police jurisdiction in Australia to launch its own web platform connecting mobile phone users to the latest police news Responsibilities Commissioner The commissioner of police, in addition to leading SAPOL, also serves as the State Emergency Coordinator and is responsible for major emergency response and command and control of major disasters, including bushfires, floods, and earthquakes. Under an emergency declaration the commissioner is extraordinary authority to create rules and regulations that may be enforced by police, for a limited time. Due to these laws, Commissioner Grant Stevens became a central figure in South Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The powers of South Australia Police are defined in the Police Act 1998. SAPOL In addition to general law enforcement such as patrols and investigations, SAPOL is responsible for other services throughout the state. These include: Operating emergency assistance call centres for police, 000 (emergency telephone number) Non-urgent assistance call centres, 131 444 (non-emergency telephone number) Coordinating and managing emergency disaster response Road safety advocacy and education Registration and licensing of firearms Liquor licensing enforcement Security of public buildings and officials Police prosecutions Victim support services Organisation SAPOL's structure consists of various units. Through the chain of command, all units are accountable to the Commissioner. Services are the largest units, and are headed by a sworn assistant commissioner, or for areas which are not policing specific, such as information technology, a civilian Director. Services are directly accountable to either the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner. Services within metropolitan Adelaide are based on four different districts: North, East West and South. Each district has its own localised branch that provides specialised services or assistance, such as Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), family violence, and intelligence sections. There are seven local service areas (LSAs) for remote and country areas within the remainder of the state. Districts and local service areas Districts and LSAs are the main organisational unit to provide policing services to the public. A district and local service area contains a number of police stations, as well as specialist services to support frontline police such as detectives, crime scene investigators and traffic police. Each LSA has a designated office