New South Wales Police have officially been recognised as world leaders in the use of social media.

The police have been using social media strategies including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to engage and communicate with the Australian community.

These platforms have allowed the police to share public warnings, major event information, crime reports and arrest updates.

Last year, NSW Police added Project Eyewatch to their social media strategy. Under the project, police work together with their local communities to find solutions to local issues.

The Eyewatch project was recognised at the Social Media Law Enforcement Conference in the United States.

NSW Police picked up the inaugural ConnectedCOPS Excellence at a Large Agency award.

Chief Inspector Josh Maxwell says the achievement is a credit to all involved in the initiative.

"The community of New South Wales should also be recognised," he said in a statement.

"Without their support, this initiative would not have been a success."

Across the state there are 101 Local and Specialist Command Facebook pages and 195 Eyewatch Facebook groups.

NSW Police says the pages have attracted more than 171,000 followers and reach a potential audience of more than 33 million.

Queensland Police also picked up an award at the conference.

They won the Excellence in Incident Management category for their work during the 2010 Queensland flood crisis