Scipione plans to arm officers with rifles before he retires

The outgoing NSW Police Commissioner says he will ensure officers on the beat are equipped with rifles in a bid to keep the community safe.

Andrew Scipione retires in April, but says he is determined to make his final days count in the State’s top policing job.

“It won’t be too long before you are going to find long-arms on the streets, and it’ll be a decision that we will reluctantly make, but at the end of the day, I’ve got an obligation to keep communities safe,” he told 7 News.

Mr Scipione is also pushing for courts to stay open until 10pm, which is similar to the New York judicial system.

“If we can reduce the time it takes from charge to having the matter heard, for someone in custody, that’s got to be a good thing,” he said.

Mr Scipione has survived six Premiers and eight Police Ministers as he served a decade as Police Commissioner.

But he says the struggle to get the drug epidemic under control, and the deaths of his officers are two things that will haunt him.

“This drug (ice) will get you and it will swallow you up and spit you out,” he said.

“This is the sort of drug that if we don’t get this right … you’ll lose a whole generation of Australians.”

Mr Scipione says he is sure a NSW officer will take over his legacy when he departs the office in April later this year.