Australian Federal Police
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Australian Federal Police | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| To Fight Crime Together and Win | |
| Established: | October 19, 1979 |
| Headed by: | Commissioner Mick Keelty |
| Ministry: | Justice and Customs |
| Headquarters: | 68 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia |
| Major units: | |
|
|
|
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. The AFP was established in 1979 to enforce Commonwealth criminal law and to protect Commonwealth and national interests from crime in Australia and overseas.
Commissioner Michael "Mick" Joseph Keelty APM is the current head of the AFP.
Contents |
[edit] History
The AFP was formed on October 19, 1979 after the merging of the former Commonwealth Police and the Australian Capital Territory Police. In November 1979, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics of the Australian Customs Service was transferred to the new agency [1] In 1984 the Protective Service component of the AFP was separated forming the Australian Protective Service, subsequently that government agency was transferred back to the AFP in 2004.
[edit] Roles and Functions Today
The AFP enforces Commonwealth law and protect Commonwealth and national interests from crime in Australia and overseas. The AFP provides community policing to the ACT, the Jervis Bay Territory, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The AFP also provides protective services to, for and on behalf of the Australian Government.
The AFP is Australia's international law enforcement and policing representative and the chief advisor on policing issues to the Australian Government. Internationally, the AFP maintains an extensive liaison network, posting officers in 33 overseas posts. The AFP works closely and collaboratively with all of the Australian police forces and criminal investigative agencies.
The AFP consists of a workforce of over 4800, consisting of police officers, protective service officers and employees.
[edit] National Activities
Federal Agents (police officers) are located in every Australian capital city and internationally and form the largest component of AFP staff, chiefly performing criminal investigations.
Federal Agents investigate and enforce Commonwealth criminal law. The key priorities of the organisation are set by the Australian Minister for Justice and Customs through a legislative ministerial 'direction'.
The current areas of focus for the AFP:
- Illicit drug trafficking
- Organised people smuggling, including sexual servitude and human exploitation
- Serious major fraud against the Government
- High Tech Crime involving information technology and communications
- Preventing, countering and investigating terrorism
- Transnational and multi-jurisdictional crime
- Money laundering
- Organised crime
The AFP hosts the Australian High Tech Crime Centre, the National Missing Persons Coordination Unit, the Australian Interpol National Central Bureau and the Australian Bomb Data Centre.
[edit] Community Policing Activities
The AFP provides community policing to the Australian Capital, Canberra, located within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). This service is provided through a contractural arrangement between the Australian Government and the ACT Government.
Known as ACT Policing, its mission is to keep the peace and preserve public safety. Key sections of ACT Policing include general duties, crime and safety management, criminal investigations, crime prevention, traffic operations and criminal intelligence.
A review of aviation security in Australia led to the streamlining of security at all major Australian Airports, a new section 'Airport Uniform Policing' was established. As a result, members of State and the Northern Territory police agencies are seconded to the AFP to provide policing services at each of the 11 major Australian airports.
AFP officers also perform community policing within the mainland Jervis Bay Territory and the external territories of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
[edit] Protection Activities
AFP 'Uniform Protection' provides protective security for the Australian Government at key locations throughout Australia and internationally. Uniform protection members provide protective security to major Australian airports, foreign embassies and consulates and Australian Government buildings and installations. These officers, known as Protective Security Officers (PSO), are not police officers, however do have significant law enforcement powers of stop and search as well as arrest.
Federal Agents are responsible for the personal protective security of Australian and non-Australian high office holders and other interests as are identified by the Australian Government.
[edit] International Deployments
Since its inception, the AFP has had a long tradition of involvement in international peacekeeping and policing. This area of the AFP, known as the International Deployment Group, has greatly increased over recent years necessitating the secondment of police officers from other Australian police forces.
Since 1964, Australia has contributed seconded police officers to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. AFP officers also presently serve with the United Nations in Afghanistan, East Timor and Sudan. Previous peacekeeping missions have included Haiti, Mozambique and Somalia.
In recent years, Australian Government efforts to assist neighbouring countries with institutional capacity building has led to AFP deployments to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is a new type of international deployment, with the police forming one large component of a large government assistance mission. The mission is a partnership of 15 pacific region countries and the Solomon Islands Government in a long-term exercise aimed at helping create the conditions necessary for a return to stability, peace and a growing economy.
[edit] See also
- Protective Service
- CrimTrac
- Federal police
- National police
- List of Australian Federal Police killed in the line of duty
[edit] Notes
- ^ Documenting Democracy. National Archives of Australia.
