Lake Illawarra Police District Commander Darren Brand on his first day in the office. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
Nearly 29 years after “falling into” policing as a young recruit in Blacktown, Superintendent Darren Brand has taken on the Lake Illawarra Police District commander role with the same spark that first drew him to the job.
After swapping districts with Supt Craig Ireland, who now leads the South Coast Police District, Supt Brand had his first day in the hotseat this week and said domestic and family violence would be one of his top priorities.
“I’m really passionate about trying to make sure we get a handle on domestic violence as best we can,” he said.
“It’s a scourge right across the state, and something that every commander is passionate about trying to improve. And I think that’ll be a real challenge here.”
He said meaningful change must involve a collaborative, community-based approach, and he was eager to assess existing initiatives to see where police could further support them.
“I’m really keen to work with not just police, but with community around domestic and family violence,” he said.
“The changes that are needed to make a real impact come from a collaborative approach with the community and working with other organisations.
“We’re very much keen to see what’s happening in that space here, and if there’s any way to enhance or support that community approach to try and resolve domestic violence.”
Supt Brand also acknowledged illicit drugs as a persistent challenge for communities but expressed confidence in the specialist capabilities already in place at Lake Illawarra.
“The good news is here at Lake Illawarra Police District, we’ve got a really good, dedicated group of people who are used to working in that space,” he said.
“They get great results. I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen so far.”
He said with drugs a problem “for every community”, Lake Illawarra was well placed to tackle any drug crime that might occur.
Supt Brand has spent almost 29 years in policing, with much of his career focused on frontline and operational roles.
“I started at Blacktown in 1997 as a younger, skinnier version than you see today,” he said, with a smile.
“I didn’t really have any great plans to be a police officer growing up, but really found my niche and found my people.
“I just fell in love with the idea of keeping the community safe and the excitement of going and getting people who’d done the wrong thing.
“When you see the difference it makes to people’s lives and the ability you’ve got to positively influence someone’s life by being a police officer, it’s really compelling.”
He has served as a uniformed police officer, a prosecutor, and in a range of metropolitan, regional and specialist commands across NSW — from one-officer stations through to district command roles.
His last role held since 2022 was Commander of the South Coast Police District, overseeing a large and geographically dispersed command – a distinct shift from Lake Illawarra.
“With South Coast, I had 19 police stations and a lot of driving to do,” he said.
“Here at Lake Illawarra, I’m lucky to have all these great people working in the one building.
“It’s different sort of policing here – not as regionally focused, lots of people living in and around the town, so it’ll definitely be different.”
Supt Brand said that combination of community safety, holding offenders to account and the visible impact on people’s lives continued to drive him.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in the police, and still do – I’m still passionate about it,” he said.
“To think that you’ve got a whole building of people here who every day come into work to make the community safe – that’s their focus, that’s their job – I just love that.”
Of the role swap with Supt Ireland, he said he believed rotating commanders benefited leadership and communities.
“I think it’s healthy for commanders to move around and for people to get a different perspective of things, and for commanders to develop a better understanding of different communities,” he said.
“It makes them all a little more well rounded.”
He said he and Supt Ireland had “shared some notes” ahead of the changeover to help support each other in their new roles, with many challenges that confronted the South Coast similar to those at Lake Illawarra.
“We’re really focused, as commanders in the southern region, on crime, community and our people,” he said.
“Those three pillars are super important to us all and to our regional commander.”
