Police

By 1901, bathing in the sea between the hours of 9am and 8pm was prohibited by Section 77 of the NSW Police Offences Act. Ocean baths offered a socially acceptable way to swim and bathe in the sea, but there were often restrictions on the times when men and women could use the ocean baths.

Local policemen have taught swimming to school children at ocean baths as well as helping to keep order at the ocean baths. In the early twentieth century, this included enforcing segregation rules at gender-segregated baths and local bylaws about not wearing bathing costumes beyond the baths and beaches.

Too strong a police presence at the baths was long considered bad for tourism, but a visible police presence still helps combat vandalism and anti-social behaviour at ocean baths, particularly in the evenings.

Off-duty policemen have sometimes needed to use their rescue and resuscitation skills at unsupervised ocean baths.

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