Future allocations of police on the north coast need to be increased to match the growing population, the Minister for the North Coast, Don Page, said today.

Mr Page recently made a submission to former Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons who is leading an audit of police resources on behalf of the NSW Government.

"The audit of police resources is designed to examine the effectiveness of the current Local Area Command structure, especially in regional areas, as well as police numbers," Mr Page said.

"I am concerned about police numbers on the north coast, particularly in areas that are popular tourist destinations, and I have personally spoken to Peter Parsons about the situation," Mr Page said.

"The statewide ratio is one police officer to approximately 500 people but on the north coast there is only one officer to every 700 people.

"These statistics are more worrying when you factor in surges in population during peak holiday periods," Mr Page said.

"Being under resourced means slower response times and more pressure on those police officers who are on duty. 

"This leaves no capacity for proactive policing – rather, low staffing levels mean officers are only able to respond to incidents, instead of being visible in communities and patrolling streets.

"I note the Northern Region will receive eight new police recruits but we need more officers to make a significant difference to communities," Mr Page said.

"The north coast has high rates of youth crime, drug related crime and anti-social behaviour, and has one of the highest incidences of mental illness in NSW," he said.

"Police resources on the north coast are stretched to the limit and I am confident the audit of police resources will identify areas of concern.

"I fully support the NSW Police Service and I believe officers are doing the best job possible with limited resources in what are often trying circumstances," Mr Page said.