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Australian Federal Police

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. The AFP is an independent agency of the Attorney-General's Department and is responsible to the Attorney-General and accountable to the Parliament of Australia.[2] As of October 2019 the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police is Reece Kershaw, formerly the Northern Territory Police Commissioner.[3][4]

Australian Federal Police

AFP

1979 (1979)

7,077 (2022–2023)[1]

Small numbers for non-operations related activity.

A$1.73 billion (2022–2023)[1]

11
  • Counter Terrorism
  • Protection Operations
  • Organised Crime and Cyber
  • Crime Operations
  • International Operations
  • Border Investigations
  • Technology and Innovation
  • Specialist Operations
  • Support Capability
  • Australian Institute of Police Management
  • ACT Policing
9
  • Adelaide Office
  • Brisbane Office
  • Darwin Office
  • Hobart Office
  • Melbourne Office
  • Perth Office
  • Sydney Office
  • Cairns Office
  • Winchester Centre, ACT

The AFP has a focus on preventing, investigating and disrupting transnational, serious, complex and organised crime including terrorism and violent extremism, cybercrime, child exploitation, drug smuggling, and human trafficking. The AFP is also responsible for delivering community policing in the Australian Capital Territory through ACT Policing and to other dependent territories, providing protective security in major airports and close protection for dignitaries including the prime minister of Australia and foreign diplomatic missions, delivering law enforcement training for Asia-Pacific partner agencies, acting as Australia's international law enforcement and policing representative, and contributing to United Nations peacekeeping around the world. The AFP is also a member of the National Intelligence Community and works closely with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Border Force, and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

History[edit]

The Australian Federal Police was formed on 19 October 1979 under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979[5] after the merging of the former Commonwealth Police and the Australian Capital Territory Police. This followed a review of Australia's anti-terrorism capacity by Sir Robert Mark, former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in the UK, which was commissioned by the Fraser government following the 1978 Hilton bombing. In November 1979, the Federal Narcotics Bureau was transferred to the new agency.[6] In 1984 the protective service component of the AFP was separated forming the Australian Protective Service under the administrative service and later governed by Attorney-General's Department; that agency was transferred back to the AFP in 2004 and is now known as Australian Federal Police Specialist Protective Command or as "Uniform Protection" internally.

Oversight[edit]

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, a joint committee of members of the Australian House and Senate, has responsibility for oversight of the AFP and the Australian Crime Commission.[7]


Separately, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is charged with investigating systemic corruption in the AFP and other commonwealth agencies. [8]

investigating complex, transnational, serious and organised crime

protecting Australians and Australian interests from terrorism and violent extremism

representing Australian police and law enforcement on an international level

developing unique capabilities and exploiting advanced technology to support Australia's national interests.

Structure[edit]

Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams[edit]

The Joint Counter Terrorism Teams (JCTTs) in each state and territory jurisdiction consist of AFP, state and territory police, and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation officers. JCTTs conduct investigations to prevent and disrupt terrorism and violent extremism. The JCTT model can be seen as the Australian version of the United States' Joint Terrorism Task Force, Canada's Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams and the United Kingdom's National Counter Terrorism Policing Network.[16]


The National Disruption Group (NDG) is an AFP-led interagency team which consolidates the capabilities of participating agencies to prevent, disrupt and prosecute Australian nationals who travel or intend to travel offshore to engage in hostilities and/or undertake terrorism training and support to terrorist entities. The NDG brings together the AFP and its partner agencies to coordinate operational disruption activities nationally and internationally with the aim of countering the enduring threat posed by foreign fighters.[17][18]

Australian Federal Police College[edit]

The Australian Federal Police College in Barton, A.C.T. is the training facility for the force.[19]

Commissioner of Australian Federal Police

Attorney General Portfolio Board

Attorney General

Attorney General

7 years, renewable at the Governor-General's pleasure.[20]

1 August 1979

A$720,480[21]

Criticism[edit]

Haneef affair[edit]

On 2 July 2007, Muhamed Haneef was arrested and held by the AFP and Border officers for terror-related incidents, as he was leaving the country. It was the longest detention without charge under recent anti-terror laws and was found to be unjustified. He received an apology and compensation after this.[23]

Martens conviction[edit]

In October 2006 a Cairns jury convicted pilot Frederic Arthur Martens under sex tourism laws of having intercourse with a 14-year-old girl in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. However, Martens was not in Port Moresby at the time, and flight records could prove this. The AFP refused to retrieve those records despite numerous requests, and Martins could not retrieve them as he was in jail. When the records were eventually retrieved by Martens' partner the convictions were quashed, with strong criticism of the AFP by Justice Chesterman. The AFP also froze all of Marten's funds while he was in custody, which prevented treatment for his daughter in Port Moresby, who died as a result.[24]

Bali Nine[edit]

The AFP were contacted by a member of the Bali Nine drug courier gang's father, and they said they would keep a watch on him. They could not stop them travelling to Indonesia to smuggle drugs. Instead, they contacted the Indonesian police which led to their arrest in Indonesia rather than when returning to Australia. The leaders of the gang, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed on 29 April 2015.[25] The others are still serving prison sentences.

Harun Causevic[edit]

Over 200 heavily armed police conducted raids at 3:00 am at various houses in Victoria on 19 April 2015, and then held Harun Causevic on a Preventative Detention Order (PDO), before charging him with terrorist offences.[26] Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said this was the first time a PDO had been used, and validated their importance.[27]


However, after Causevic spent three months in jail awaiting trial the federal police decided to drop the terrorism charges.[28] Causevic's defence lawyer, Rob Stary, said there was never any real evidence against Causevic, and that this eroded confidence in the authorities. He was also critical of the earlier "grandstanding" of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Premier Daniel Andrews.[29]

Media portrayal[edit]

The AFP has appeared in several fictional television series and documentaries. The AFP was the focus of a documentary series called AFP (TV series), which followed AFP operations and training in Australia and internationally. AFP members have also appeared in other documentary series such as Border Security: Australia's Front Line and the Keeping Australia Safe mini-series.


The AFP is portrayed in the true crime-drama series Underbelly and is also portrayed in the military action series NCIS: Sydney along with the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

AFP (TV series)

List of Australian Federal Police killed in the line of duty

(AFP's Police Tactical Group)

Specialist Protective Services

Australian Federal Police Association

Australian police ranks

Terrorism in Australia

Official website

Specialist Protective Command

Archived 29 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine

Australian Federal Police Former Members Association

Australian Federal Police Act 1979

ACT Policing