The NSW state opposition said Sydney's metropolitan area police numbers are in steady decline, shedding almost nine-hundred officers in less than five years.
Liberal police spokesman, Mike Gallacher, said an analysis of figures obtained from the NSW Police Force showed officer numbers hit a high-point in late 2003 of 7,500.
Mr Gallacher said the figure has been gradually decreasing since then and now stands at below 6,600.
"In effect, we have nearly nine-hundred less cops in the Sydney metropolitan area than we did in 2003," he said.
"These are figures supplied by the NSW Police Force in terms of actual police officers in NSW.
"We're talking about the numbers of cops in the 46 area commands that make up the Sydney basin."
The figures indicated police were resigning from the force, or moving to other areas of NSW, faster than they can be replaced.
Mr Gallacher said there were two smaller spikes in officer numbers in December 2005 and January 2007 when major recruitment drives took numbers back over 7,000.
However, on both occasions the force went on to drop to below 6,600 officers.
Mr Gallacher said the figures do not take account for officers on leave, meaning the number of police available for daily duty in the Sydney basin, which has a population of about four-million people, would have been even lower.
"Despite all of the government spin, despite all of the comments that everything is fine in terms of policing in NSW, these figures show there has been a steady decline in terms of police numbers in the Sydney metropolitan area since the high-point in 2003," said Mr Gallacher.
But Premier Morris Iemma scotched the claims, saying police numbers in NSW now stood at a "record high", and the government was "well into recruiting an extra 750 police" in keeping with an election commitment.
"No, it doesn't tally," said Mr Iemma.
"And I've been to a number of local area commands in the last couple of weeks that are either at authorised strength, some are above, some are just below awaiting existing recruits."
