Australian Federal Police

Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) Officer Cadets completed an extensive training program in Australia last week, following a joint initiative between the AFP, RPNGC and Queensland Police Service. The program commenced in May this year and involved more than 60 RPNGC cadets receiving training in north Queensland and Sydney. It was the first time a program of this magnitude was delivered in Australia for Pacific police, and for some cadets, the first time they had travelled overseas. Cadets were presented opportunities to develop their leadership skills, decision-making abilities, and adaptability in a variety of operational settings. Programs like this further enhance the AFP’s strong relationships across the Pacific and allow us to continue to work together to combat regional transnational crime.

Life behind bars (the better kind) 🚲 AFP Protective Service Officers (PSOs) recently completed a Bicycle Patrol Officer Program at Australian Parliament House. Participants were trained in bicycle safety checks, signalling and communicating, riding on various types of terrains, peloton riding, and riding over and around obstacles. PSOs and Police use bicycles to get to spots that can be hard to access with a vehicle or when closer inspection is required when on patrol. It’s also a wheelie good way to maintain a healthy lifestyle!

Trying to figure out your next career move? We’ve made it simple.

The AFP-led Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) was proud to host the inaugural National Cybercrime Prevention Forum in Sydney. Bringing together representatives from law enforcement, government, academia, and industry, the two-day event saw Australia’s key players in the fight against cybercrime sharing strategies and initiatives about victim and cyber offender prevention and disruption. The AFP would like to thank all presenters for sharing their insights, and its international policing partners for delivering inspiring sessions about integrating prevention measures in cybercrime operations and taking a whole-of-society approach to tackling cybercrime. The JPC3 continues their important work to fight cybercrime and prevent harm and financial loss to the Australian community. Stay tuned for important updates about the national expansion of the Dutch National Police Politie Nederland-inspired program, re_B00TCMP. Every joint prevention project implemented is one step closer to reducing the amount of cybercrime offending in Australia and enhancing the cyber resilience of the community. 

As National Science Week draws to a close, we’re going to end with a tricky one! Can you guess what this is? It’s been magnified 20 times!

⚠️ Content warning. Two men from WA’s South West have been charged separately with unrelated alleged child abuse material offences. Separate investigations into each man began after the AFP received reports from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, about one man, 22, allegedly engaging with child abuse material on social media and another man, 42, allegedly uploading child abuse material to a social media platform. Officers from the WA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET), which comprises the AFP and WA Police Force, executed a search warrant at the 22-year-old’s home, allegedly finding chats with minors on a seized device. WA JACET additionally executed a search warrant on the 42-year-old and searched the man’s mobile phone, allegedly identifying child abuse material on the device. The AFP and our partners work tirelessly to protect children wherever they live and bring to justice anyone involved in stealing their innocence.

⚠️ Content warning. A Queensland man has been sentenced to imprisonment and 16 children in the Philippines have been removed from harm after an international child protection investigation. The AFP arrested the Mackay man, 57, at Sydney International Airport in January 2023, after Australian Border Force officers found child abuse material on his phone. ABF officers inspected the man’s phone and located messages detailing his intent to pay a facilitator to enable him to sexually abuse children in the Philippines. The AFP was alerted and began an investigation into his activities and subsequently charged him. The AFP shared intelligence gathered during the investigation with the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre which led to 16 children being removed from harm in the Philippines. This investigation shows the commitment of police and its partners around the world to work together to combat the exploitation and abuse of children.

A West Australian couple has been charged with allegedly keeping a female employee in debt bondage and illegally taking her passport. The AFP had previously charged the man, 32, and woman, now aged 38, as part of a human trafficking investigation. Slavery-like practices, including debt bondage, occur when people are subjected to conditions to which they have not agreed, the value of their services was not reasonably applied against their alleged debts, or they were coerced, threatened or deceived into working against their will because they did not consider they were free to leave their place of employment. The AFP and partner agencies can help people who are being exploited and are focused on protecting the safety and welfare of victims. If you suspect that you or another person is being exploited or is at risk of being exploited, help is available. Call 131 AFP (237) or report to www.afp.gov.au. If you have immediate concerns for your safety, the safety of another person, or there is an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

The AFP has world-class forensics capabilities and has revolutionised the way crimes are solved in Australia. AFP Forensics continues to push the boundaries, evolving to keep pace with new technologies, and to fight and disrupt crime in the physical and digital worlds. Embrace your inner forensics scientist and guess what this mysterious substance is!

A Forrestfield man who allegedly endangered pedestrians while driving erratically near Perth Airport has been charged with reckless driving and possessing a machete. The man allegedly drove the vehicle onto a pedestrian footpath, narrowly missing a pedestrian, and struck a car park fence before driving away onto Afleck Drive about 6.30pm this past Sunday. He allegedly drove on the wrong side of the road, requiring several vehicles to swerve to avoid a collision. AFP officers were eventually able to stop the four-wheel drive but had to smash a window of the vehicle to remove the man from inside. The officers allegedly found a 50cm machete on the passenger seat of the vehicle, and also found a mallet and a small quantity of a substance believed to be illicit drugs inside the vehicle. The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with dashcam vision of the area between 6pm and 6.30pm is urged to upload the footage to WA Police Force Investigators: https://lnkd.in/gYJM_s2q.