Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions

About the ODPP

The ODPP is NSW's independent prosecution agency.

  • We have about 600 staff, including Crown Prosecutors, solicitors and administrative officers. 
  • We handle approximately 18,000 criminal cases a year involving;
    • Committal proceedings for indictable offences in the Local Court
    • Trials and pleas of guilty for indictable offences in the District and the Supreme Courts
    • Appeals in the District Court, Court of Criminal Appeal, and the High Court
    • Some summary hearings in the Local Court

We provide police with advice, and institute and conduct proceedings in the public interest. We do so in line with the Director’s Prosecution Guidelines . We make independent decisions in relation to criminal prosecutions free from political, individual or sectional interests.

Our Head Office is located in Sydney. We have three western Sydney offices; Parramatta, Penrith and Campbelltown. There are also six offices throughout regional New South Wales; Lismore, Newcastle, Gosford, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, and Wollongong. Solicitors and Crown Prosecutors located in the country offices conduct prosecutions in circuit courts within their region.

In addition to general prosecution groups the Head Office has several specialised units including a Legal Resources Unit, Court of Criminal Appeal, Group 6 (prosecuting special crime including police officers charged with criminal offences), and Advisings. The ODPP also has a Witness Assistance Service (WAS) in each office. WAS provide information, support and assistance to victims of crime and witnesses in cases we prosecute.