NSW Police has the full support of government as it merges the Middle Eastern crime squad and gang units into an elite group designed to target organised crime.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the decision to merge the squads and shift away from targeting organised crime through an ethnic lens, was not a streamlining procedure but a response to the changing nature of criminal activity.
"Clearly, regrettably, we're entering unchartered territory when it comes to crime on a global scale, crime that's not just within our borders," Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Sunday.
"And we need to make sure our police force has the resources and the structure to move forward in dealing with all those incidents."
Ms Berejiklian said Police Commissioner Mick Fuller had her full support when it came to restructuring the force.
"I'm generally not comfortable with any labels but it's up to the police how they determine what they do," she said, responding specifically to the decision to drop the ethnic focus of the squads.
"This is about making sure we're a step ahead of global crime."
"We're entering different ways in which criminal activity is being conducted and we need to make sure our police force reflects that."
Deputy Commissioner David Hudson has told the Sunday Telegraph it's one of several plans being considered in the shake-up of how police investigate and respond to gangland crime.
The proposed squad would not be ethnic-based, reflecting that gangs are no longer exclusively Asian or Middle Eastern.
A statement released by NSW police said the restructure is an opportunity to improve policing in NSW to ensure there will be more police on the frontline where they are needed.
"These proposed changes would enhance NSW Police's ability to prevent, disrupt and investigate crime, which has been reflected in low levels of crime," the statement said.
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