ACT Policing: Annual Report 2022-23

Contents

• 1 Chief Police Officer’s foreword
• 2 Ministerial Direction
• 3 ACT Policing at a glance
  • Our Role
  • Our Mission
  • Our Intent
  • Our Values
  • Our Governance
  • Our Budget
  • Our Approach
  • Our Performance
  • Our Challenges
  • Our People
  • Our Future
  • Our Community
• 4 Performance analysis
  • Performance Measures
  • Outcome: Prevent Crime
  • Outcome: Prevent Road Deaths and Trauma
  • Outcome: Divert
  • Outcome: Disrupt
  • Outcome: Respond
  • Outcome: Enforce
  • Outcome: Community Confidence
  • Other Reporting
• 5 Professional standards
  • AFP Professional Standards Framework and AFP Conduct Issues
  • ACT Policing Complaint Statistics
  • Trends Analysis
• 6 Use of force
• 7 Staffing profile
• 8 Financials
  • Financial Performance
  • Financial Analysis
  • Asset Management
• Appendices
  • Appendix 1: Financial Statements
  • Appendix 2: Statement of Performance
  • Appendix 3: Number of Offences Reported or Becoming Known in Australian Capital Territory 2018-19 to 2022-23
  • Appendix 4: Offences Cleared by ACT Policing in the Australian Capital Territory 2018-19 to 2022-23
  • Appendix 5: Percentage of Offences Cleared by ACT Policing
  • Appendix 6: Proceedings Against Offenders by ACT Policing (Charges) 2018-19 to 2022-23
  • Appendix 7: Abbreviations

Pictured above: ACT Policing First Nations Liaison Officers gathered at the Winchester Police Centre.

The Australian Federal Police acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, sea and community.

We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past, present and emerging.

1 Chief Police Officer’s foreword

• Dangerous Driving
• Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility

It is a privilege to present the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Policing Annual Report for 2022-23 as the Chief Police Officer for the ACT (CPO). The professionalism and dedication our members continue to display in the face of a challenging law enforcement environment never ceases to amaze me. ACT Policing has been involved in multiple inquiries, supported several legislative amendments, and worked towards reducing recidivism in difficult and dangerous circumstances.

In late September 2022, the new 2022-26 Purchase Agreement and Ministerial Direction was signed, outlining ACT Policing’s key areas of focus including:

• Transitioning to the Police Services Model (PSM).
• Reducing the over-representation of First Nations peoples in the justice system.
• Implementing effective Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR).
• Enforcing new legislation in response to changes to the age of minimum criminal responsibility.
• Combating dangerous driving.
• Countering terrorism and violent extremism.

I have also committed to providing an annual Statement of Intent (SOI) to further enhance ACT Policing’s transparency, not only with ACT Government but the wider ACT community. My focus for 2023 and beyond will be ensuring ACT Policing works towards achieving appropriate policing levels for the ACT community and developing a professional workforce that is resilient, skilled and dedicated to working in step with our community to keep people safe.

During the 2023-24 budget announcements, ACT Policing received a significant funding increase of $107 million from the ACT Government to be phased over the next five years. These funds will go towards bolstering our workforce with approximately 126 new officers and professional staff in support of the frontline.

Policing in the ACT continues to evolve and become more complex, and I am very aware that officers have been doing their best with the resources available to them to apprehend criminals, respond to mental health incidents, investigate tragic road fatalities and work to keep the Canberra community safe. I am confident that more staff, in addition to process improvements and broad capability uplift, will help to alleviate the current workload pressures felt by ACT Policing’s members.

Despite the challenges faced by our workforce, I am proud to inform the community of the following achievements and significant leadership on issues that reinforce ACT Policing’s commitment to ensuring the safety of the Canberra community.

ACT Policing has been provided the opportunity to contribute expert opinion and advice at a number of inquiries.

Dangerous Driving

In November 2022, I appeared before the Justice and Community Safety Committee to express concerns on behalf of ACT Policing regarding the increase of dangerous driving behaviour witnessed by police within the ACT.

During the inquiry, the ACT Government made an announcement introducing new road safety legislation to tackle excessive speeding, and target hooning and other dangerous driving behaviour. The legislation has afforded police greater powers to apprehend these drivers and reduces their ability to cause greater harm to innocent road users.

It is a priority for me to continue to work with our stakeholders to provide essential legislative and regulatory reform and a substantial road safety campaign to deter dangerous driving behaviours.

The Inquiry was another opportunity for ACT Policing to highlight the successes of Operation TORIC, which was established in August 2022 in response to anti-social behaviour on our roads. ACT Policing had been working towards the launch of this taskforce in order to focus on the identification and apprehension of high risk, high harm and recidivist offenders who place the community and ACT Policing members in danger.

Due to consistently positive apprehension results, Operation TORIC is now an ongoing operation targeting recidivist offenders who are actively offending.

Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility

In June 2023, we appeared before the Justice and Community Safety Committee to discuss raising Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility (MACR). I am, together with the broader ACT Policing, passionate about continuing our important work with the ACT Government to implement initiatives that will improve community safety while continuing to support the wellbeing of children and young people. ACT Policing’s preference is that MACR should be nationally consistent. ACT Policing looks forward to continuing work and consultation with the ACT Government and relevant stakeholders to implement the revised MACR and an effective frontline response to children and young persons at risk.

Family violence and mental health incidents remain key drivers for demand on police responses in terms of number, complexity and time to resolve. Over the course of the last two years, the ACT Policing Family Violence Unit (FVU) has conducted a number of investigations at the Alexander Maconochie Centre with the assistance of ACT Corrective Services. These investigations have resulted in 17 detainees being charged with:

• 29 contraventions of family violence orders
• Nine attempted contraventions
• Two stalking offences
• One attempted stalking offence
• Five uses of a carriage service to threaten serious harm
• Four uses of a carriage service to threaten to kill.

Additionally, seven associates of the detainees were charged with eight aid-and-abet contraventions of family violence orders and two stalking offences. These investigations are a strong demonstration of how ACT Policing and its partners in the ACT Government are collaborating to prioritise victim safety and offender accountability.

In response to Recommendation 15 from the SAPR Report, a working group was established as an oversight committee. ACT Policing’s SAPR Team commenced Operation FOSTER to reinvestigate matters recommended by the working group. As of 30 June 2023, 22 of the total 749 matters reviewed were recommended for immediate reinvestigation by Operation FOSTER or reengagement by Victim Support ACT. Additionally, seven complainants have self-referred their complaint for inclusion in the review.

During 2022-23 I was pleased to introduce a project that supported ACT Policing’s transition to the PSM. The Online Reporting Portal was launched in June 2023 to allow the community to report non-urgent, minor property damage and vandalism incidents via a new online form. This is an additional method of reporting, which will complement existing channels.

I have always been confident about the diligence and duty of care my members conduct themselves with when engaging with the community, apprehending an offender and following the correct processes throughout an investigation. This confidence did not waver in December 2022, when the ACT Government announced that a Board of Inquiry would be established following a number of complaints and allegations relating to several organisations involved in the R v Lehrmann trial.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and ACT Policing welcomed and actively engaged with the Inquiry throughout its entirety. In particular, we ensured all witnesses were available, submitted detailed statements and provided access to all AFP documents and information relevant to the case.

I have tremendous respect for the way ACT Policing officers conducted themselves during the investigation and trial, but particularly for their interactions with the Board, which were at all times nothing short of exemplary. My priority during the Inquiry was to ensure our officers involved received the information and support they needed, and I will continue to ensure this remains in place for as long as our members require.

ACT Policing works in partnership with the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), ACT Law Courts, and the ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JaCS) to deliver consistent and appropriate criminal justice outcomes. The relationship between ACT Policing and the DPP is of vital importance to the administration of justice in the ACT and to the community. ACT Policing will continue to work cooperatively with the DPP to ensure the effective administration of justice continues in the ACT.

Being a police officer is simultaneously a challenging and rewarding vocation and I can reassure the people of the ACT that my officers will continue to perform their duties to the best of their ability. I would also like to acknowledge and thank ACT Policing’s professional staff who work tirelessly to achieve results and support our officers each and every day. Your work does not go unnoticed.

I look forward to continuing to lead this exceptional team through the remainder of 2023 and into 2024.

Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan APM
Chief Police Officer for the ACT

2 Ministerial Direction

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Ministerial Direction

This Ministerial Direction is issued under section 7 of the Policing Arrangement between the Ministers of the Commonwealth and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Governments and outlines the ACT Government’s priorities and expectations for the AFP and more specifically the CPO. This Direction is to be read in conjunction with the 2022-2026 Purchase Agreement between the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, the AFP Commissioner and the CPO. This Direction supersedes and revokes the Direction issued on 28 October 2019.

The ACT Government is committed to the community’s wellbeing including ensuring Canberrans are, and feel, safe and secure around their homes, community and online. ACT Policing plays a key role in supporting the ACT Government’s commitment to Safety domain in the Wellbeing Framework. My expectation is that ACT Policing delivers all functions under the Policing Arrangement 2017 and 2022-2026 Purchase Agreement and will focus its activities to keep the peace and preserve public safety within the ACT.

In the current environment, the expected focus areas for ACT Policing are:

Transition To The Police Services Model

• Continue transitioning to a more prevention and community-focused PSM that better supports ACT Government and community priorities. The PSM will be: intelligence led; evidence based; agile and mobile; and systemic.
• Enhance digital engagement to ensure ACT Policing continues to evolve in line with community expectations.

Reducing The Overrepresentation Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People

• As part of the ACT Government’s justice reinvestment strategy and the focus on pillar one of the Reducing Recidivism in the ACT by 25% by 2025 (RR25by25) Plan, in recognition of the disadvantages and challenges facing the ACT’s First Nations community and national work to close the gap on this disadvantage, work with the ACT Government to support the community to help reduce overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.
• Design and implement an ACT Policing engagement framework in consultation with the ACT’s First Nations community. This includes implementing agreed recommendations from the Ombudsman report on ACT Policing’s administrative framework for engagement with the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community that relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Implement Effective Sexual Assault Prevention And Responses

• Focus on the priority of effectively responding to sexual violence against children and adults as a strategic crime type. Work together with the Coordinator-General for Family Safety to implement the ACT Government’s response to the SAPR Steering Committee’s recommendations in the Listen, Take Action to Prevent, Believe and Heal report.
• Continue to review and improve ACT Policing operations response to sexual violence where care of the victim survivor is the core consideration.

Raising The Age Of Minimum Criminal Responsibility

• Support the ACT Government’s priority reform to raise the MACR in the Territory. Continue engagement with key ACT Government directorates to identify areas of consideration in supporting the transition to these arrangements.

Combat Dangerous Driving

• Work with key areas of ACT Government to combat dangerous driving in both prevention and post-incident response.
• Take action to improve road safety, with emphasis on reducing road trauma experienced by vulnerable road users and combating anti-social and dangerous behaviours including speeding and driving while impaired or distracted.

Countering Terrorism And Violent Extremism

• Continue to counter the threat of terrorism and violent extremism by strengthening the safety of the ACT’s public places in line with national strategies and best practice; and developing a fixated threat capability to meet the Government’s obligations under the October 2017 Council of Australian Governments agreement.

In addition to a focus on these specific priority areas, it is my expectation that ACT Policing will continue to provide a professional, effective and efficient, policing service to the ACT community. This should be achieved through evidence-based and innovative strategies to meet the outcomes of the 2022-2026 Purchase Agreement to reduce crime, increase public safety and engage with community and partners locally and nationally.

In achieving this, I expect ACT Policing to:

• Remain adaptive to the changing environment
  • Continue to work with ACT Government and the community to build understanding of the resource pressures and impacts on community policing in responding to, and building permanent capabilities to address, significant natural disasters, pandemics and resultant social political and protest activity.
• Collaborate effectively with ACT Government, its agencies and stakeholders
  • Being transparent and responsive, and actively engage with partner agencies on holistic approaches to complex social issues in support of the ACT Government’s policy agenda.
• Maintain an efficient, effective workforce
  • Maintain a diverse and inclusive workforce that is committed to the wellbeing and health of its people so that it can continue to deliver a professional, innovative and effective policing service in a dynamic environment for the ACT community.

I note that Clauses 3 and 6 of the 2022-2026 Purchase Agreement introduce a new requirement for ACT Policing to publish an annual CPO SOI. I look forward to receiving the strategies and plans that ACT Policing will put in place to address the ACT Government’s key priorities and this Ministerial Direction, and ACT Policing’s report on progress and outcomes against the SOI in the ACT Policing Annual Report.

Yours sincerely

Mick Gentleman MLA
Minister for Police and Emergency Services
28 September 2022

3 ACT Policing at a Glance

• Our Role
• Our Mission
• Our Intent
• Our Values
• Our Governance
• Our Budget
• Our Approach
• Our Performance
• Our Challenges
• Our People
• Our Future
• Our Community

Our Role

Through the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement with the AFP, ACT Policing is responsible for providing quality and effective policing services to the people of the ACT. We do this in partnership with the community and the ACT Government.

Our Mission

Our mission is to keep the peace and preserve public safety within the ACT.

Our Intent

We strive to deliver a professional, innovative and effective policing service in an ever-changing environment for the ACT community.

Our Values

We pride ourselves on being a values-driven organisation. Our core values of integrity, commitment, excellence, accountability, fairness, respect and trust represent our principles and standards — the values we uphold in performing our professional duties.

Our Governance

The key documents which govern the delivery of policing services to the ACT are the Policing Arrangement, 2022-26 Purchase Agreement and Ministerial Direction.

Policing Arrangement

The AFP is a statutory authority established by the Federal Parliament under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979. The AFP delivers policing services to the ACT as a separate outcome under a contractual arrangement between the Commonwealth Government and the ACT Government.

2022-26 Purchase Agreement

The Policing Arrangement provides for the negotiation of a 2022-26 Purchase Agreement between the AFP and the ACT Government. The agreement details the outcomes, outputs, performance measures, targets and facilities to be provided and the powers and obligations of the Minister for Police and Emergency Services and the CPO, and associated administrative arrangements.

The main shared ACT Government Outcomes are:

• Prevent Crime
  • Prevent crime and violence.
• Reduce Recidivism
  • Reduce repeat offending.
• Prevent Road Deaths and Trauma
  • Collaborate with partner agencies to improve and promote road safety through education, innovation and targeted enforcement.

The main ACT Policing Operational Outcomes are:

• Divert
  • Increase support for early intervention and diversion.
• Disrupt
  • Proactive operations to prevent and disrupt crime.
• Respond
  • Responsiveness to calls and incidents taking into consideration public and police safety.
  • Respond to emergencies and disasters.
• Enforce
  • Increase police proceedings through both court and non-court outcomes.
• Community Confidence
  • Increase community confidence in police.
  • Enhance and strengthen resilience of communities.
  • Increase support for early intervention and diversion.

Alignment with ACT Government Priorities

The Policing Arrangement allows the Minister for Police and Emergency Services to provide general directions to ACT Policing (in writing) through a Ministerial Direction. The Ministerial Direction gives guidance on specific areas of focus relating to policy, priorities and goals for the provision of police services, without issuing directions on operational matters (see Chapter 2: Ministerial Direction).

Chief Police Officer’s Statement of Intent

From 2022, ACT Policing will publish an annual CPO’s SOI, which sets out strategies and plans ACT Policing will implement to address the ACT Government’s key priorities and the Ministerial Direction. Achievements against the SOI will be recorded in subsequent Annual Reports.

Further details of the Policing Arrangement, the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement, the Ministerial Direction and the CPO’s SOI are available via ACT Policing’s website at: https://www.police.act.gov.au/about-us/government-directions.

Our Budget

Under the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement, the funding provided by the ACT Government to the AFP for delivery of policing services in 2022-23 was $205.458 million.

The total price includes enabling costs and direct funding from JaCS for crime prevention initiatives ( see Chapter 8: Financials ).

Our Approach

Our approach is underpinned by a series of strategies and initiatives that support the outcomes set out in the Performance Measure Framework:

Prevent Crime

Continued support of the ACT Property Crime Prevention Strategy, by promoting innovative and enduring crime prevention strategies and reducing the opportunities for crime to occur or reoccur.

Enhancing our response to and the investigation of offences by forging strong relationships with stakeholders to facilitate whole-of-government and cross-jurisdictional information sharing and collaboration.

Applying technology and forensic science capabilities, and effectively harnessing intelligence from a wide range of sources.

Providing effective and efficient support to the judicial process by maintaining a robust partnership with the ACT DPP and delivering high-standard briefs in a timely manner.

Facilitating a more efficient criminal justice system with an emphasis on timely preventive justice measures and judicial processes.

Reduce Recidivism

Continued support to the ACT Government’s Reducing Recidivism Plan 2020-23 (the Plan) sets out the first three years of work towards the government’s goal of reducing recidivism in the ACT by 25 per cent by 2025.

The Plan has seven priorities to address the factors that often lead to repeat offending, such as social isolation, inadequate housing, drug and alcohol dependence and poor mental health.

ACT Policing Intelligence continues to work with ACT Policing Proactive Intervention and Diversion Team (PIDT) in producing measurement and analytical tools for the purpose of understanding and treating recidivism and reducing impacts on the ACT community.

Prevent Road Deaths and Trauma

The ACT Government works closely with ACT Policing to develop and implement strategies to improve road safety and reduce anti-social and dangerous driving behaviours. These include joint education campaigns in line with the Road Safety Calendar, focused on improving road culture and driving behaviour. Additional initiatives include Operation TORIC and periodic high-visibility traffic enforcement operations on Canberra’s roads.

ACT Policing will continue to enforce the ACT’s laws and interact with those drivers that choose to do the wrong thing on Canberra’s roads.

Police continue to witness and prosecute dangerous driving incidents that include components of the ‘fatal five’ - impaired driving (alcohol and drug), failing to stop at intersections, excessive speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and driving while distracted - in addition to driving on the wrong side of the road and failing to stop for police.

Our Performance

ACT Policing’s performance is measured by the Performance Measure Framework, which incorporates two major outcomes and a series of strategies, initiatives and targets, as articulated in the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement.

The overarching budgetary outcome of the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement is to work in partnership with the community, to create a safer and more secure ACT through the provision of quality policing services. The Performance Measure Framework aims to enhance accountability for the delivery of services, and provide clear links between ACT Policing’s outcomes, outputs, strategies and individual measures.

ACT Policing’s two Outcomes (Shared ACT Government and ACT Policing Operational Outcomes) are supported by 21 Performance Measures.

Performance Measures are described in detail in Chapter 4: Performance Analysis.

Our Challenges

Major challenges and demands presented to ACT Policing during 2022-23 included:

• Officer safety: Officer safety is of the utmost importance. The ACT is continuing to see police officers and the community put at risk by recidivist dangerous drivers, including fail to stop offenders who engage in dangerous driving behaviours.
• Dangerous driving and fatalities: The 2022-23 financial year saw 11 fatalities on our roads. Dangerous driving is a concern and there were many incidents where offenders repeatedly ignored court conditions and reoffended while on bail.
• Resourcing: Meeting the complexity and high demand of incidents reported to police is an ongoing challenge. However, ACT Policing’s ability to be flexible and respond to emerging priorities in the ACT is exemplary.
• Increased demand for priority response: Over the last five years the number of Triple Zero (000) calls to the Police Operations Centre has increased. The centre now receives over 3,000 per month.
• Drugs of dependence legislation: In response to the announcement of new drug decriminalisation legislation in October 2022, ACT Policing has continued its work with ACT Health partners to support harm minimisation and health protection initiatives for the safety and wellbeing of all Canberrans.
• Preparing ACT Policing for the future: In order to meet the current and long-term needs of a diverse and growing ACT community, in addition to policing in an increasingly demanding and complex environment, we are transitioning to a more community-focused model of police service.
• Raising the MACR: ACT Policing is continuing to engage with key ACT Government directorates on the transition to these arrangements and proactive collaboration to ensure decision makers are fully informed regarding known, and yet to be considered, outcomes of the policy.
• Crime and recidivism: ACT Policing is targeting recidivism through early intervention and community engagement, in an overall approach to reduce crime in the ACT.
• Family violence: The FVU will continue to develop the secondary response model to provide a tailored and coordinated approach for both victim-survivors and perpetrators of family violence.
• Sexual assault prevention and response: Maintain focus on providing and improving a victim-centric police response to sexual violence in our community, and continuing to work closely with victim support groups to deliver a high level of support and care to victim-survivors.
• Serious and organised crime: ACT Policing engages in prevention and disruption of serious and organised crime through targeting, disrupting and apprehending members of criminal gangs and seizing associated wealth derived from criminal activity.
• Reducing the over-representation of First Nations peoples in the justice system: ACT Policing conducts ongoing engagement with the local First Nations community to further develop solid, trusting relationships through open dialogue, enhancing our understanding of the challenges faced by First Nations peoples.

Our People

The CPO is accountable to the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services for the achievements and outcomes set out in the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement and Ministerial Direction.

The CPO is also responsible for the management of personnel and resources used to deliver police services to the ACT community. The CPO is supported by four functional streams: Deputy Chief Police Officer, Operations, Investigations and Corporate.

Information about ACT Policing personnel can be found at Chapter 7: Staffing Profile.

Figure 3.1: ACT Policing organisational structure as at 30 June 2023

Figure 3.2: ACT Policing patrol zones as at 30 June 2023

Our Future

At ACT Policing, we are working to evolve with our increasingly diverse and growing community to create an even safer Canberra.

The ACT Policing Futures Program is continuing to ensure that ACT Policing delivers a sustainable, efficient and effective policing service to meet the current and long-term needs of the ACT community.

The ACT Government funded the PSM through a significant $33.9 million investment over four years, with the funding commencing in the 2019-20 financial year. The community-focused model utilises intelligence to inform better operational and tactical decisions to ensure resources are targeted most effectively and focused crime prevention activities are conducted. The model fosters a collaborative approach across the justice system to work with our government and non-government partners to address the root causes of crime.

In 2022-23, the PSM work continued with a focus on priority projects:

• The Proactive Policing Capability was expanded. A third team was established through the foundation of Operation TORIC, focusing ACT Policing resources on the identification of recidivist dangerous drivers, including fail to stop offenders who engage in dangerous driving behaviours placing the community and ACT Policing members at great risk.
• Technology projects included the launching of the Online Reporting Portal, providing the community convenience and choice when reporting non-urgent property damage and vandalism incidents, and the extension of the electronic device and phone download capability.
• ACT Policing implemented a Research and Evaluation Capability through the establishment of a dedicated team, bringing new problem-solving methodology from across the world to ACT Policing. The methodology is utilised to address systemic crime issues and inform crime prevention work.
• ACT Policing implemented a Continuous Improvement Capability that provides a structured approach to guide the analysis and delivery of opportunities for improvement. A dedicated team drives continuous improvement, with proposals assessed against a triaging matrix, determining their alignment to current ACT Policing, ACT Government and AFP strategies, as well as determining the effort and cost to achieve.
• ACT Policing developed collaborative partnerships with academia. This has resulted in the first formal internship in ACT Policing. In this past year, two Australian National University (ANU) Criminology students completed community policing focused research internships, providing valuable insights to ACT Policing.

Our Community

ACT Policing is working to address ACT Government key priority policy objectives

• More than 174 referrals to the Early Intervention & Drug Diversion Program
• More than 280 apprehensions & 700 charges under Op TORIC
• Established Operation FOSTER to reinvestigate historical sexual assault cases
• More than 17,000 Victim Liaison Officer contacts
• More than 5,900 referrals to SupportLink services
• Advancing the First Nations Liaison Officer Community of Practice Project
• Co-delivery of the Living Safe Together Intervention Program
• Member of the ACT Disability Justice Strategy Reference Group
• ThinkUKnow Program delivered to 10,700 students
• Established a new Crime Prevention Liaison Officer role
• High-visibility traffic operations under new Road Safety Calendar
• Fully electric facility at the new Road Policing Centre in Hume

Case Study

Implementation of a New Online Reporting Capability

Online reporting is now available for the Canberra community, changing the way the community can engage with police to report non-urgent, minor property damage and vandalism.

The launch of online reporting in June 2023 provides the community with more choice when making a report to police through enabling the reporting of non-urgent property damage and vandalism online at a time and place that is convenient to them.

Providing the community with a range of options to engage with police by harnessing the power of digitisation and technology is also facilitating better decision making by ACT Policing in the assessment, triage and dispatch of resources.

The community assisted in the evaluation of the capability in the months prior to the launch, with positive feedback received indicating satisfaction with the online reporting experience. One feedback response stated, ‘I can’t believe how easy the process was to report this incident!’

Positive feedback was also provided by police communications members receiving and processing the reports, and from frontline officers regarding the functionality, benefits of improved data consistency, reduced duplication and improved workflows, in addition to the future opportunities the capability will offer.

Online reporting will continue to be expanded to cater for additional crime types in the future as ACT Policing aims to provide the community with modern technologies and support, getting the right service response to address issues of concern. Traffic ‘hooning’ incidents are the current focus along with expansion into minor theft offences and other property offences including burglaries.

Community feedback will remain a priority to drive the continuous development of the online reporting capability to ensure it meets the community’s and ACT Policing needs into the future, where the focus is: ‘if it’s happening call it, if it’s happened click it’.

Other Australian law enforcement jurisdictions have observed a slight increase to the reporting rates of property damage crime types where online reporting has been introduced, revealing consistent underreporting of these incidents within communities. ACT Policing expects a similar trend to emerge from July 2023 and will use this information to better understand our crime trends and dispatch police resources appropriately.

ACT Policing will always maintain Triple Zero (000) and 131 444 police assistance phone lines and the ACT community will continue to be able to report crime in person at their local police station.

Case Study

Chief Police Officer Visits USA and Canada

In February 2023, the CPO, Neil Gaughan, travelled to the United States and Canada as part of an ACT Government delegation to observe and discuss the experiences of law enforcement, health and political counterparts regarding the decriminalisation of possession of small amounts of illicit substances.

The visit was arranged following the passing of the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Act 2022 in the ACT Legislative Assembly on 20 October 2022. The amendments will mean that, from 28 October 2023, the possession of small amounts of certain illicit drugs will be decriminalised in the ACT. People will no longer be subject to potential prison sentences and instead may be issued a caution or a fine, or referred to an illicit drug diversion program.

The ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman, and the ACT Chief Health Officer, Kerryn Coleman, joined the CPO on the visit to gain key insights from a political, policing and health perspective.

The delegation visited San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Ottawa and Washington DC, meeting with both health and law enforcement agencies in all cities, including the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Department of Public Health, Homeland Security Investigations, Portland Police Bureau, Portland Central City Concerns, US Senator Floyd Prozanski, Vancouver Police Department, British Colombia Ministry of Health and Addictions, Public Safety Canada, Health Canada, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Many of the agencies and cities the delegation visited are at various stages of a culture shift to drug decriminalisation, with some having many years of experience and others only months. The various jurisdictions shared many commonalities in their policy approach, but many differences were also observed, including measures of success.

Discussions, although broad ranging, were consistently dominated by the irreversible damage and challenges posed to health and law enforcement services by endemic fentanyl and opioid abuse. The delegation witnessed firsthand the negative effects on communities where drugs were prevalent throughout the city streets.

Both health and law enforcement counterparts were in agreement that all aspects of any drug decriminalisation initiative must be implemented simultaneously and holistically. Given this, ACT Policing will work with its partners to support the prioritisation of addiction treatment services, education campaigns, prevention initiatives and law enforcement upskilling across ACT Government. Four key initiatives that will run in conjunction with one another are: law enforcement implementation; health system pathways; communication and public education; and First Nations stakeholder and partner engagement.

Overall, the key takeaways and areas for focus in the lead-up to October 2023 for the CPO, ACT Policing and the ACT Government are:

• Ensuring our workforce is adequately educated and fit-for-purpose training packages are targeted at reducing stigma
• Messaging to the community about potential harms or ‘safe use’ must be consistent between ACT Policing and health services
• Addiction must be treated as a health issue, not a law enforcement one
• Establishing pathways to assist addicts who come into contact with police to access health care services.

Case Study

Opening the New Policing Facility in Hume

ACT Policing’s new facility in Hume was officially opened on 23 June 2023 by the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman MLA.

The project started more than three years ago with a vision to create a space that was best suited for modern policing requirements. The previous Traffic Operations Centre in Belconnen was deemed to be in its ‘end of life’ phase as a functional building.

After extensive budget discussions and a search for the most suitable premises, the site selected for the new ACT Road Policing Centre was found in May 2020. Located in Hume, the existing 6,000m2 building was the only site available in the ACT that met the project requirements. It then took another two years to confirm the design and complete the fit-out to make the site fit for use.

The ACT Government leased site will also house ACT Policing Radio Technicians, the Emergency Management and Planning Team and the ACT Policing Fleet team. The centre is proving to be a great fit for each team.

The new site was developed with a suite of requirements. The focus was ensuring there was a practical workflow to the building, so it could perform functionally for the Road Policing Centre staff, but also allow use by other areas of ACT Policing.

There are some great features in the centre including ergonomic workstations, vehicle fit-out bays, technical workshops, modern break-out areas and change rooms with fully equipped bathrooms and large lockers. There are also state-of-the-art evidence areas that ensure officers will be able to safely and securely store evidence during and after investigations.

Larger and more open work areas will facilitate group discussions and more efficient communication within and across teams.

A multi-use training room has been included, which is expected to be used by all areas of ACT Policing. The courses and training these facilities will be used for include the Local Procedures Program for new ACT Policing members and theory classes for Advanced Driver Training.

The centre is the newest ACT Policing premises and it sets a benchmark for functionality and fit-out of ACT Policing’s accommodation.

Case Study

Winchester Police Centre SHIELD Services

The 2020 Federal Budget committed $65 million to the AFP over four years to implement a new AFP health model known as SHIELD. It is the single biggest wellbeing spend in the AFP’s history and is delivering enhanced health and wellbeing services to all AFP employees.

During the 2021-22 financial year, SHIELD services commenced in ACT Policing. This saw the addition of new clinicians to support ACT Policing employees, including dedicated support from a registered nurse, a physiotherapist, an exercise physiologist, a health and fitness advisor, a social worker, a mental health nurse, a psychologist and a medical officer. ACT Policing employees can also access the services of visiting dietitians and occupational therapists.

These clinicians enhance support services already available to ACT Policing members, including dedicated Injury Prevention and Management Specialists and Welfare Officers. Since commencement in ACT Policing, SHIELD has seen excellent uptake of services and received positive member feedback regarding the expanded services.

The SHIELD team is fully integrated with ACT Policing’s Welfare Officer Network and has established strong, trusted relationships. Focusing on education and prevention, SHIELD has worked to deliver operational alertness and time management training to the ACT Policing Communications team. This training focuses on the effects of shift work and provides participants with practical tools and advice to establish good routines for sleep, exercise and meals that match their shift roster. The training is being offered to all ACT Policing teams.

On 20 April 2023, SHIELD officially opened a new facility in the Winchester Police Centre. The new SHIELD Hub is adjacent to the Winchester gym and houses SHIELD staff who offer a range of services to support the health and wellbeing of ACT Policing employees. The SHIELD Hub refurbishment demonstrates the strong partnership between SHIELD and ACT Policing to ensure the ACT Policing workforce has accessible, confidential and professional support.

Overview Of SHIELD Services

Mental Health Clinicians

Within ACT Policing, Mental Health Clinicians provide professional mental health support services on both an individual and organisational level with the goal of enhancing individual and organisational health and wellbeing. A Mental Health Clinician can be a registered psychologist, social worker or mental health nurse.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapists are experts in musculoskeletal injuries and conditions. SHIELD physiotherapists can offer assessment, diagnosis and short-term treatment to improve movement, restore function, reduce pain and stiffness and recover from injury. The service also offers assessments of human movement and musculoskeletal injuries.

Exercise Physiology

Exercise physiologists work with both healthy individuals and those with chronic diseases/conditions or musculoskeletal injuries (acute and chronic). They provide specific clinical exercise programs for the rehabilitation and management of conditions and injuries and tailored exercise plans. Furthermore, they provide information and advice about exercise to help manage and prevent injuries and chronic conditions.

Health and Fitness

Health and fitness advisors provide physical health education and advice and short- term individual coaching sessions, and conduct group training sessions. They provide oversight of all AFP gyms, and organise national gym safety audits.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists assist members to maintain, regain or improve independence when they experience illness, injury or disability. They work across the areas of injury prevention and management, including workstation assessments, home assessments, and ergonomic equipment advice.

Dietetics

Dietitians facilitate workshops and programs on dietary and nutrition advice through education, prevention and early intervention. They also provide one-on-one support to people with chronic or complex health conditions that have specific dietary restrictions, or requirements such as diabetes or food allergies.

4 Performance Analysis

• Performance Measures
• Outcome: Prevent Crime
• Outcome: Prevent Road Deaths and Trauma
• Outcome: Divert
• Outcome: Disrupt
• Outcome: Respond
• Outcome: Enforce
• Outcome: Community Confidence
• Other Reporting

Community Policing

• 4,131 arrests made
• 54,595 incidents attended
• 1,385 summons issued
• 913 Intoxicated persons lodged in protective custody
• 4,166 mental health related incidents attended
• 3,308 family violence incidents attended

Media

• 1,294 media enquiry responses provided
• 431 media releases issued

Orders and Briefs

• 1,144 Family Violence Orders
• 1,417 hearing briefs delivered to Director of Public Prosecutions
• 860 Personal Protection Orders

Intervention

• 5,918 referrals to community support agencies
• 78 number of diversionary conferences
• 553 drugs seizures
• 176 people diverted into Early Intervention and Drug Diversion Program¹

¹ For a restorative justice diversion to occur, the offence type, offender and victim must be deemed suitable in accordance with the Crimes (Restorative Justice) Act 2004.

ACT Policing Website

• 1.21 million unique page views for policenews.act.gov.au
• 516,640 unique page views for police.act.gov.au
• 1,911 news subscribers
• 1,596 community blog subscribers
• 2,853 media subscribers

Social Media

• 65,472 followers on our Twitter channels (ACT Policing and ACT_Pol Traffic)
• 2.7 million impressions on our Twitter channels
• 149,692 followers on Facebook
• 44.3 million impressions on Facebook (Note: Impressions are the number of times a post from your page is displayed, regardless of whether it was clicked on or engaged with or not. For example, if someone sees a page update in their Facebook newsfeed and then sees that same update when a friend shares it that would count as two impressions.)
• 22,865 Instagram followers
• 2.5 million impressions on Instagram

Community Engagement

• 103 community engagement requests facilitated
• 13 community events attended

Constable Kenny Koala Program

• 32,080 students visited
• 21,453 unique page views for the Constable Kenny website
• 1,367 classroom presentations
• 13 community events attended

Performance Measures

ACT Policing, in partnership with the community, is creating a safer and more secure ACT through the provision of quality police services.

On 25 November 2022 the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, the AFP Commissioner and the CPO announced the commencement of the new four-year ACT Policing 2022-26 Purchase Agreement.

The agreement details the policing services purchased by the ACT Government from the AFP. The new agreement remains a high-level principles-based document that seeks to provide guidance on how ACT Policing and the ACT Government work together to provide a community policing capability consistent with the ACT community’s expectations.

Key changes under the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement include:

• Earlier emphasis on the obligation of the AFP to align policing services with ACT Government priorities in recognition of the overarching policy environment within which ACT Policing operates
• Enhancing the governance for enabling services through service level agreements in place between ACT Policing and the AFP
• The introduction of an annual CPO’s SOI which will set out strategies and plans ACT Policing will implement to address the ACT Government’s key priorities and the Ministerial Direction
• The Performance Measure Framework (Schedule 1 of the Agreement) now appropriately differentiates Shared ACT Government Outcomes from Key Performance Indicators, with the latter focused on operational outcomes within the control of ACT Policing. This recognises ACT Policing as part of a multi-agency response supporting the ACT Government in navigating complex social issues. Additionally, the new targets are designed to be more consistent and fluid and therefore more contemporaneous, allowing ACT Policing to analyse any potentially underlying issues in data and/or policies.

The 2022-26 Purchase Agreement outlines 21 performance measures under two outcomes, against which ACT Policing’s performance is measured.

Shared ACT Government Outcomes

ACT Policing Operational Outcomes

A full summary of all offences reported and cleared by ACT Policing, in addition to the number of proceedings against offenders, can be found at Appendices 3 to 6.

The 2022-26 Purchase Agreement includes four measures based on the results of the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing. The National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing is a telephone survey (landline and mobile telephone numbers) which measures community perceptions on a range of policing-related issues. These issues include satisfaction with policing services, feelings of safety, concern about potential victimisation and beliefs regarding police behaviour. During 2022-23, 2,403 ACT residents participated in the survey, with a national total of 27,651 participating across Australia.

The following data outlined in this chapter provides an overview of each Performance Measure against the 2022-23 target, the achieved result, and the reason for variation, if any.

Data for the selected Performance Measures and comparison tables was extracted from ACT Policing’s case management system (PROMIS) on 3 July 2023. It is important to note that ACT Policing’s database is live and crime data is continually revised; therefore, crime statistics may differ depending on the date of extraction.

Shared ACT Government Outcomes

Outcome: Prevent Crime

Performance Measure 1 - Number of offences against the person reported or becoming known per 100,000 population

Figure 4.1: Offences against the person reported or becoming known per 100,000 population - 5 year trend

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

Figure 4.2: Offences reported against the person 2013-14 to 2022-23

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

Person offences reported or becoming known per 100,000 population for the 2022-23 financial year is 934.26. While this is an increase on the past three financial years, those years were affected by COVID-19 lockdowns.

Table 4.1: Offences against the person by offence type - financial year comparison

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

During 2022-23 there were 4,259 offences against the person reported to ACT Policing. This represents an increase of 16.3 per cent (or 597 offences), compared to 2021-22.

During 2022-23, overall assault offences increased by 14.8 per cent when compared to 2021-22.

Of those assault offences reported to ACT Policing, 44.3 per cent were family violence related, as shown in Figure 4.3.

Figure 4.3: Proportion of family violence related assaults 2013-14 to 2022-23

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

Case Study

Operation TAMAR: Murder of Phillip Man Glenn Walewicz

On the evening of Thursday 10 June 2021, Glenn Walewicz answered repeated knocks on the door of his unit in Mansfield Place, Phillip. As he opened the door a man, one of three people outside, fired a pump-action rifle at Mr Walewicz, hitting him in the neck. Mr Walewicz collapsed inside his apartment, and unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

Minimal evidence was left behind by the offenders, and after an initial canvass of the area including door knocks, little further information was yielded. CCTV had captured a black hatchback nearby at the time, and a traffic camera recorded a similar vehicle running a red light a short time later.

While AFP Forensics enhanced additional poor-quality footage from a Transport Canberra bus depicting a dark car parked outside Mansfield Place at the time of the shooting, a motive for the killing remained unknown to police.

The investigation examined a multitude of leads, including a mobile phone tower data dump of more than 4,000 numbers at the time of the murder, leading to more than 50 suspects being identified.

A major step forward came on 17 July 2021, when a tip was received about the identity of the offenders and their actions at the time - the tip included information that had not been publicly released at the time.

Two suspects identified were juveniles with prolific criminal histories, who communicated almost exclusively via social media.

Evidence mounted that one of the juveniles had been in possession of a firearm matching that which caused the death of Mr Walewicz, and after a search warrant was executed in October 2021, further evidence that the juveniles and a woman were connected to the murder was discovered, along with the possible identity of the shooter.

A warrant was executed on the residence of another suspect in November 2021, and several .22LR calibre rounds and mobile phones were located and seized. The fired shell casings matched the casing from the crime scene and had been fired by the same weapon. One of the phones seized had been in the area of the murder at the time, and call records for it identified another suspect.

Extensive mobile phone and traffic camera analysis was undertaken, enabling investigators to determine the route taken by the suspects to and from the scene, the times of their journeys, and compelling evidence they all travelled in the same vehicle. While this further closed the net, more evidence was still needed.

In March 2022, a phone seized during a warrant provided the motive for the murder - a drug theft gone wrong - and further evidence for the identity of the shooter. In May 2022, another warrant located clothing believed to have been worn at the time of the murder.

By June 2022, three arrests were made in the ACT. After a fourth arrest at Baradine, in north-western NSW, the firearm was also located. A boy who was 12 years old at the time of the offence was arrested in Canberra a few days later, swiftly followed by a sixth arrest in Glen Innes, NSW.

In February 2023, the first offender, the getaway driver, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended on a good behaviour bond.

A second offender was sentenced to 10 years and three months in jail for murder in March 2023.

All offenders involved in the incident pled guilty to the charges laid. As at 30 June 2023, the shooter, who was aged 17 at the time of the murder, is awaiting sentencing.

Performance Measure 2 - Number of offences against property reported or becoming known per 100,000 population

Figure 4.4: Offences against property reported or becoming known per 100,000 population - 5 year trend

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

For the 2022-23 year, the pro-rata figure of property offences reported or becoming known per 100,000 population was 3,333.63.

Figure 4.4 shows a continual long-term downward trend for reported property offences per 100,000 population.

Figure 4.5: Offences reported against property 2013-14 to 2022-23

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

During 2022-23 there were a total of 15,197 offences against property reported to ACT Policing. This represents a decrease of 13.5 per cent (or 2,377 offences) when compared to 2021-22.

Table 4.2: Offences against property by offence type - financial year comparison

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

*Other offences against property include fraud and misappropriation, handling of stolen goods, environmental offences, blackmail and extortion and other property offences not elsewhere classified

Operation TORIC was established in August 2022 to stem the increase in motor vehicle thefts, associated dangerous driving, and drug related crime. Operation TORIC has made a large number of apprehensions since its inception. Drug driving, driving while disqualified or suspended, and stealing a vehicle (including riding in or driving a stolen motor vehicle) are amongst the most common offence types. These arrests have made Canberra’s streets safer, and resulted in a marked reduction of offences including residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, and stolen motor vehicles.

Figure 4.6: Motor vehicle theft offences reported 2013-14 to 2022-23

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

Case Study

Operation GRANTHAM: Anti-social Behaviour and Retail Theft Targeted in the ACT’s Shopping Centres

During June and July 2022, ACT Policing’s PIDT, Territory Targeting Team and Community Engagement Team came together under joint Operation GRANTHAM to quickly identify and address individuals engaging in criminal behaviour at shopping centres across the ACT.

Operation GRANTHAM saw officers working in collaboration with centre management, onsite security and retailers to identify people conducting thefts and anti-social behaviour in real time as the incidents occurred.

While some officers patrolled in uniform, others wore plain clothes and were able to witness and intervene as incidents occurred.

During the operation, ACT Policing and relevant shopping centres took a range of actions including supporting the issue of banning notices and application of criminal charges. These included:

• Nine banning notices
• Four criminal cautions
• Four charges of criminal trespass
• Five breaches of bail
• One charge of unlawful possession of stolen property
• Five charges of theft
• One charge of property damage
• One charge of breaching a good behaviour order
• One charge of hindering and one charge of resisting a Territory Public Official.

Targeted operations involving officers continued in the months that followed and the public was reminded that they may encounter an on-duty police officer in shopping centres at any time without knowing it, and that police would be ready to respond to crime as required.

Operation GRANTHAM reinvigorated ACT Policing’s relationship with the ACT’s major shopping centres. The operation resulted in early intervention opportunities, improved relationships with our partners and the disruption of crime during the busy school holiday periods.

Case Study

Operation COLAC: General Duties Response to Series of Aggravated Burglaries Throughout Canberra’s North

In January 2023, 19 burglaries in one night in the Gungahlin patrol zone saw Operation COLAC established - with officers drawn from Gungahlin, City and Belconnen general duties patrols.

On 2 January 2023, ACT Policing was called to two locations where burglaries had occurred at several businesses in Crace and Nicholls. Police were then notified of additional burglaries with the same characteristics at multiple businesses across the Gungahlin area. It was soon established that in just over 40 minutes, 19 burglaries had occurred across Gungahlin - with stolen items and damage occurring at each location.

Two young people were arrested later that morning and later charged with aggravated burglary, associated thefts and stolen motor vehicle offences.

Investigators continued to examine multiple CCTV recordings and forensic evidence to establish that a group of six offenders had committed the burglaries. After liaising with NSW Police, the group was also believed to be responsible for three similar recent incidents in NSW.

In April 2023, AFP Forensics identified a number of fingerprints belonging to a third young person on stolen cash registers recovered by police. This evidence, together with evidence collected during a search warrant, allowed investigators to charge this third young person with offences relating to the 19 incidents from 2 January 2023.

In May 2023, investigators collected further statements implicating a fourth offender - an adult. They were also able to lawfully obtain telephone conversations between co-offenders (from the Bimberi Youth Detention Centre) which contributed to the arrest and charging of the adult with offences relating to the 19 burglaries, associated thefts and stolen motor vehicles.

While the investigations into the 2 January 2023 incidents were occurring, on 23 January 2023 a further 12 burglaries occurred in the Belconnen area with the same modus operandi. Operation COLAC members identified that two offenders in these burglaries were in the group of six offenders from earlier in January. Police are continuing their investigations.

Performance Measure 3 - Proportion of offenders proceeded against by police more than once within the previous 12 months

Figure 4.7: Proportion of offenders proceeded against by police more than once within the previous 12 months

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

The proportion of offenders proceeded against by police more than once within the previous 12 months is 22.0 per cent. This continues the downward trend since 2019-20 and is the lowest proportion of offenders proceeded against in the last five years.

Outcome: Prevent Road Deaths and Trauma

Performance Measure 4 - Number of road crashes resulting in death per 100,000

Figure 4.8: Road fatalities per 100,000 population

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023 and Australian Road Deaths Database as at 30 June 2023

The rate of road crashes resulting in death per 100,000 for the 2022-23 year is 1.5 per 100,000 people.

Performance Measure 5 - Number of road crashes resulting in injury per 100,000

Figure 4.9: Road crashes resulting in injury per 100,000 population

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

Figure 4.10: Total road crashes resulting in injury

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

The number of road crashes resulting in injury per 100,000 for the 2022-23 year is 74.8 per 100,000 people.

While this is a slight increase on the 2021-22 result, it is significantly lower than the results recorded in the four financial years prior.

ACT Policing Operational Outcomes

Outcome: Divert

Performance Measure 6 - Percentage of eligible young people referred to restorative justice (RJ)

Performance Measure 6.1 Young First Nations Peoples

During 2022-23, of the nine young First Nations peoples eligible for Restorative Justice, one was not referred therefore ACT Policing did not meet the 100 per cent referral target for 2022-23.

Performance Measure 6.2 Young Non-First Nations Peoples

During 2022-23, of the 51 young non-First Nations peoples eligible for Restorative Justice, three were not referred, therefore ACT Policing did not meet the 100 per cent referral target for 2022-23.

Performance Measure 7 - Percentage of offenders proceeded against by non-court actions (diversions and cautions)

Performance Measure 7.1 First Nations Peoples

The percentage of First Nations offenders proceeded against by non-court actions (diversionary conferences, alcohol and drug diversions and cautions) is 4.5 per cent. This is 2.7 per cent below the target of 7.2 per cent (average over the past five years).

Performance Measure 7.2 Non-First Nations Peoples

For the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, the percentage of non-First Nations offenders proceeded against by non-court actions (diversionary conferences, alcohol and drug diversions and cautions) is 13.5 per cent. The result is 1.0 per cent above the target of 12.5 per cent (average over the past five years).

Performance Measure 8 - Number of persons referred to community support agencies (SupportLink)

For the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 there were 5,918 referrals to SupportLink which is 0.01 per cent below the five year average of 5,919.

SupportLink provides a national referral and diversion gateway for police and other emergency services to participate in early intervention. The role of SupportLink is to reduce crime, suicide, violence, substance abuse, family breakdown and juvenile offending; and to improve support for victims of crime.

The annual target for this measure is based on the average number of persons referred to community support agencies over the previous five years. For the periods covering the COVID-19 pandemic the numbers of referrals declined. However, they have since increased in recent months.

Outcome: Disrupt

Performance Measure 9 - Number of disruption activities (drug related, general person offences, general property offences or organised motorcycle gang related)

Figure 4.11: Number of disruption activities

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

The number of disruption activities for 2022-23 is 795. Overall, a downward trend in disruption activity since 2018-19 has been observed.

Performance Measure 10 - Disruption Case Study

Case Study

Operation TORIC: Targeting Recidivist Offenders

In response to an increase in recidivist offending, motor vehicle theft, dangerous driving, and other serious crimes, ACT Policing established Operation TORIC in August 2022.

The aim of Operation TORIC was to address the increased risk to the community due to the driving behaviours of offenders who show a total disregard for both personal and public property to avoid apprehension, as well as the significant diversion of police resources to respond to dangerous driving events.

Focusing on individuals who were continually putting the community, themselves, and police at risk, Operation TORIC began swiftly, arresting 18 offenders and laying more than 70 charges in the first three weeks of its operation.

As at 30 June 2023, Operation TORIC recorded 287 apprehensions leading to 704 charges, with the most common charges being drug driving, driving while disqualified, and driving a stolen motor vehicle.

Many of these offenders were already subject to existing court-imposed orders and other conditions at the time of their arrest - 118 were on bail and 58 were subject to good behaviour obligations.

Targeting recidivist offenders naturally saw offenders come to the attention of Operation TORIC more than once.

Some significant apprehensions from the first 10 months of Operation TORIC include:

• A 19-year-old man arrested in May 2023 in relation to 19 commercial burglaries committed in one night in January 2023 at local shops across Gungahlin. He faced a total of 32 charges - 19 counts of joint commission burglary, 12 counts of joint commission theft, and one charge of driving a stolen motor vehicle
• A 28-year-old man arrested in April 2023 on his eighth disqualified driving charge
• Eight teenagers arrested in a 24-hour period in February 2023 in relation to three stolen motor vehicles
• Twelve arrests across the October 2022 long weekend, including a 14-year-old boy, three 15-year-old boys, and two 16-year-old boys in relation to two stolen vehicles, as well as a 42-year-old man caught speeding on a stolen motorcycle
• Five recidivist offenders apprehended in one night in September 2022, all of whom were subject to existing orders.

Due to its success, Operation TORIC is now an ongoing capability within ACT Policing. The team is working more closely with our Proactive Intervention and Disruption Team, as well as professional experts, to develop strategies to break the cycle of recidivist behaviour and reoffending.

Performance Measure 11 - Number of targeted traffic operations (in line with the 2022-23 Road Safety Calendar)

For the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 there were 16 targeted traffic operations by ACT Road Policing. This takes into account one operation per month in line with the

Road Safety Calendar and additional operations including but not limited to major events including ANZAC Day and seasonal awareness campaigns such as Kings Highway Summer Safe and Monaro Highway Snow Safe campaigns.

Case Study

Operation KILCOY: 3D Firearms Printing and Drug Trafficking from NSW into ACT

On 2 March 2023, ACT Policing responded to reports of a concealed firearm in a vehicle which was scheduled for a service at a Belconnen vehicle repair shop. Police observed a 3D printed and modified firearm with a plastic grip and metal barrel and seized the firearm and vehicle.

Police arrested a 33-year-old man from Campsie, NSW, and charged him with unauthorised possession of a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition, and trafficking a controlled substance. During the arrest, police located a .22 calibre hollow point round of ammunition, approximately $2,500 cash, two mobile phones, and several clip seal bags believed to contain a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine.

Operation KILCOY was established after the arrest of this man to investigate numerous leads that were raised regarding 3D firearms printing and drug trafficking from NSW into the ACT. After conducting search warrants across the ACT, as at 30 June 2023, Operation KILCOY has resulted in seven arrests and the seizure of:

• Approximately 340 grams of methamphetamine
• Three conductive energy weapons
• Nine prohibited firearms (gel blasters and ‘BB guns’)
• Two prohibited crossbows
• One prohibited knife
• $14,600 cash (suspected to be proceeds of crime)
• Ammunition
• Approximately 1,000 grams of cannabis
• 10 stolen electric bikes
• 16 stolen electric scooters
• Three vehicles
• One suspected stolen industrial size diesel generator
• Seven prescription pads suspected of being stolen from Medicare
• 12 duffle bags full of power tools suspected to be stolen
• Eight mobile phones
• Six tablet computers suspected to be stolen
• Three vials of a substance suspected to be GHB
• Assorted memory cards and SIM cards
• A 3D printer and printing filament
• Eight bottles of methadone
• Multiple clip seal bags of heroin
• A variety of prescription medications.

During the investigation and the execution of the warrants, ACT Policing was supported by numerous external agencies including NSW Police, ACT Domestic Animal Services and the RSPCA.

Investigations into some of the seized items remain ongoing.

Case Study

Operation BAKIS

In December 2021, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received information from the FBI in relation to a sophisticated online child abuse network. The AFP-led ACCCE-coordinated Operation BAKIS identified a Canberra man suspected to be accessing, sharing and producing child exploitation material.

The matter was referred to ACT Policing’s Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) for further investigation.

On Thursday 24 February 2022, ACT JACET attended an address in the ACT for the purpose of executing a section 3E Crimes Act 1914 search warrant.

During a search of the premises, police located thousands of video and image files suspected to be child exploitation material.

The man was arrested and later bailed from the ACT Magistrates Court with strict bail conditions.

Further investigations by both ACT JACET and the AFP Victim Identification Team identified evidence of first-generation child exploitation material, meaning the male had been producing child sexual abuse material. The man was re-arrested and remanded in custody.

To date, as a result of the investigation the AFP has removed a number of children from ongoing harm both in Australia and overseas and has made a number of referrals to foreign law enforcement in relation to those accessing and distributing child exploitation material.

The man pleaded guilty to 24 offences relating to child sexual offending, and the possession of child exploitation material. On 8 June 2023, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 14 years and five months, with a non-parole period of eight years and eight months.

The outcome demonstrates the commitment of ACT Policing to prosecuting those who target our most vulnerable members of society. It also highlights the valuable role our relationships with international law enforcement partners play in identifying and disrupting these sophisticated networks.

Outcome: Respond

Performance Measure 12 - Average length of time to respond to Priority One Incidents

In 2022-23, the average length of time to respond to Priority One Incidents was 7.4 minutes. This is 9.3 per cent below the maximum target of 8.2 minutes (the average response time for Priority One Incidents over the past five years).

Performance Measure 13 - Average length of time to respond to Priority Two Incidents

In 2022-23, the average length of time to respond to Priority Two Incidents was 18.1 minutes. This is 6.7 per cent over the target of 17.0 minutes, the average response time for Priority Two Incidents over the past five years.

The high volume of Priority Two Incidents reported to ACT Policing has presented challenges for ACT Policing in meeting Performance Measures relating to response times since 2015-16. The increase in Priority Two matters in the last five years has been a key driver of the result for this Performance Measure. While the number of Priority Two Incidents decreased by 4.2 per cent in the last 12 months, there has been an increase of more than 4.7 per cent in the last five years and more than 33 per cent over the last 10 years.

Performance Measure 14 - Percentage of Priority Three Incidents responded to within 48 hours

Figure 4.12: Percentage of Priority Three Incidents responded to within 48 hours

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

In 2022-23, 94.6 per cent of Priority Three Incidents were responded to within 48 hours. This is an improvement of 1.1 per cent in comparison to the previous financial year.

Performance Measure 15.1 - Percentage of Triple Zero (000) calls answered on first presentation

The percentage of Triple Zero (000) calls answered on first presentation is 90.9 per cent. This result is the same as the target of 90.9 per cent, which is the average percentage of calls answered on first presentation over the past five years.

Similar to the number of Priority Two matters, over the last five years the number of Triple Zero (000) calls to Police Operations has increased over 15 per cent with the average number of monthly calls increasing from more than 2,400 per month to over 3,000 per month.

ACT Policing applies the highest priority to the answering of Triple Zero (000) calls and aims to answer them within 10 seconds. Non-emergency calls to Triple Zero (000) reduce ACT Policing’s capacity to respond to genuine emergency incidents in a timely manner. ACT Policing Media continually reminds the ACT community not to call Triple Zero (000) unless it is an emergency. Nuisance or hoax phone calls, albeit low in volume, do exist and pose capacity issues. As noted, ACT Policing has also observed an escalation of calls to 131 444, which has in turn led to higher call wait times leading to some callers contacting Triple Zero (000) instead.

Performance Measure 15.2 - Percentage of Triple Zero (000) calls answered on second presentation

The percentage of Triple Zero (000) calls answered on second presentation is 97.5 per cent. This result is 0.6 per cent above the target of 96.8 per cent, which is the average percentage of calls answered on second presentation over the past five years.

Performance Measure 16 - Percentage of the community satisfied in general with the job police are doing in responding to emergencies and disasters

The target for this measure is the national average or less as determined by the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing.

For 2022-23, the percentage of the community satisfied in general with the job police are doing in responding to emergencies and disasters is 75.1 per cent, which is 1.2 per cent below the target.

Case Study

Operation SALE: Canberra Airport Shooting

On the afternoon of 14 August 2022, a 63-year-old man entered the check-in area of the Canberra Airport. The man arrived at approximately 1:20pm and at 1:29pm ACT Policing responded to multiple Triple Zero (000) calls reporting an ‘active shooter’ incident at the Canberra Airport. The man had drawn a revolver firearm and then deployed approximately five rounds into windows of the building. Thankfully, no-one was injured during the incident.

Multiple resources encompassing ACT Policing and the AFP Airport Police responded, with the AFP Airport Police first on the scene, apprehending the 63-year-old NSW man.

The airport was immediately locked down and a crime scene was identified. A Police Forward Command Post was established with unified coordination attached, engaging multiple stakeholders including airline representatives, airport security, AFP Airport Police and Specialist Commands.

After the apprehension, significant resources were deployed to conduct a search of the terminal and assess any further risk associated with the man’s actions. Explosive Detection Canines were used for targeted checks of unattended bags and other items of interest, the Rapid Appraisal Officers and Bomb Response Team were deployed to examine the man’s belongings, and multiple patrols circulated the terminal. No threats were identified.

Teams from ACT Policing’s Criminal Investigations attended and took carriage of the investigation. AFP Forensic Services and multiple disciplines from Special Operations attended and supported the examination of the crime scene and the gathering of evidence.

The man was charged with discharging a firearm at a building, unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm near a person, causing alarm. After pleading guilty to the shooting, the man was sentenced to just over three years in jail.

In consultation with airport representatives, the airport was reopened and services were resumed. The combined efforts of everyone involved contributed to the preservation of public safety and restored operation of Canberra Airport.

Outcome: Enforce

Performance Measure 17 - Proportion of offenders proceeded against for person offences

The proportion of offenders proceeded against for person offences is 30.1 per cent. This is 2.3 per cent greater than the target of 27.8 per cent, the average over the past five years.

Figure 4.13: Proportion of offenders proceeded against for person offences

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

Performance Measure 18 - Proportion of offenders proceeded against for property offences

The proportion of offenders proceeded against for property offences is 7.6 per cent. This is 0.7 per cent less than the target of 8.3 per cent, the average over the past five years.

Figure 4.14: Proportion of offenders proceeded against for property offences

Source: PROMIS as at 3 July 2023

Offenders proceeded against for property offences measures the number of offences where there was an outcome during the reporting period. These outcomes include but are not limited to the apprehension of an offender through an arrest or some other form of proceeding such as a summons or a formal caution, withdrawal of the complaint or the determination that the offence was unsubstantiated. It is important to note that proceedings for an offence may not necessarily occur in the same period in which it was reported.

ACT Policing continues to work with the ACT Government to develop and implement strategies to improve the criminal justice system. This includes the establishment of the Community Policing PIDT to focus on reducing recidivism and calls for service.

Case Study

Exercise HELM

On 14 April 2023 during the ACT term one school holidays, ACT Policing’s Emergency Management and Planning Team conducted Exercise HELM, simulating an active armed offender scenario at Lake Ginninderra College in the Canberra suburb of Belconnen.

The focus of the Australian and New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee exercise was to practise the field-level management of an incident - its command, control and coordination; the interoperability and communication of agencies and an assessment of available information and procedures to build an intelligence picture.

The scenario began with two offenders driving to the front of the college, leaving their car wide open at the main entrance, just as lunch ended for students and the next lesson was about to start. The offenders established positions on the school’s top level and aimed firearms over the balcony, opening fire into the school.

As part of the exercise there were a number of deceased and seriously injured students during the attack. The rest of the students fled into the school and the college commenced lockdown procedures, securing students in classrooms with the lights off.

ACT Policing General Duties members provided first response and the Tactical Response Team Quick Response Force arrived to assist and clear the school. Parents and media arrived at the location and required management.

ACT Ambulance Service arrived and established a triage zone for victims. They worked with ACT Policing to access the injured, with ACT Fire and Rescue also assisting.

About 60 role players took part in Exercise HELM, including ACT Policing’s new Local Procedures members. Their enthusiasm and energy created a realistic environment for the responding police.

The Emergency Management and Planning Team used stress vests, which deliver an electric shock to trained offenders and responding police members, indicating they had been shot. Operational and Safety Training members fired blank cartridges to create gunshot sounds.

The Police Technical Team also installed cameras throughout the school and on the stress vests of role players so the scenario could be livestreamed to the Police Operations Centre.

A number of Education Directorate, ACT Ambulance Service, ACT Fire and Rescue, AFP Learning and Development and ACT Policing representatives observed the scenario from the Police Operations Centre, giving them an insight into a police response to an active armed offender incident.

Several learning outcomes and training opportunities were identified for ACT Policing. The Emergency Management and Planning Team plan to hold more training exercises in the future.

Outcome: Community Confidence

Performance Measure 19 - Percentage of the community satisfied in general with services provided by police

The target for this measure is the national average or more as determined by the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing.

For 2022-23, the percentage of the community satisfied in general with services provided by police is 68.7 per cent which is 5.3 per cent below the target.

Performance Measure 20 - Percentage of the community who have confidence in police

The target for this measure is the national average or more as determined by the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing.

For 2022-23, the percentage of the community who have confidence in police is 75.0 per cent which is 1.8 per cent below the target.

Performance Measure 21 - Number of complaints against police

The number of complaints against police for 2022-23 is 64. This continues a downward trend for complaints and is the lowest result of the last five years.

Figure 4.15: Number of complaints against police

Other Reporting

Outcomes achieved aligning with the Ministerial Direction and Statement of Intent

Transition to the Police Services Model

One of the strategies for ACT Policing to adapt its response processes and investigative procedures to support the community and the complexity of modern-day crimes is its transition to the PSM.

With the ACT Government’s ongoing support, ACT Policing will direct resources where they are most effective, conduct focused crime prevention activities and work across the broader justice system with partners to ensure the root causes of crime and repeat offending are addressed.

The Research and Evaluation Team was formally established in November 2022 to enhance ACT Policing services and capabilities and will provide ACT Policing with the evidence base to inform decision making and support best practice policing. Combining police members skills, knowledge and experience with research and innovation, this capability utilises problem-solving crime methodology in how ACT Policing addresses systemic crime issues and evaluates the impact of crime reduction work.

ACT Policing also has new tools and technology to improve investigations and enhance efficiency. For example, new technology used for scene reconstructions in vehicle collisions is providing outstanding results for the investigation of some of the ACT’s major collisions. This technology is a faster and more accurate way of gathering information to help with an investigation that will lead to improved support of the judicial process.

In 2022-23, ACT Policing:

• Developed and launched the community-focused non-urgent Online Reporting Portal
• Developed a business case to the ACT Government for the second four-year tranche of the PSM
• Focused on Proactive Policing problem solving opportunities for community engagement and education.

Proactive Intervention and Diversion Teams

The initial development and subsequent expansion of the Proactive Intervention and Diversion policing capability has seen the creation of two PIDTs established within the Vulnerable Persons portfolio of ACT Policing. These teams are a visible and proactive presence in the community, aiming to put downward pressure on the drivers of demand and reduce repeat calls for service by intervening, disrupting and preventing crime by focusing on problematic people, places and issues.

The PIDT had major operational successes in 2022-23, working with NSW Police Force to disrupt criminal syndicates targeting both residential and commercial business premises in the ACT and NSW.

Specific successes in 2022-23 include:

Operation TOWNSVILLE

Operation TOWNSVILLE was established after police identified a group of recidivist youth offenders committing home burglaries to then steal vehicles. The group, originating in NSW, was regularly travelling to the ACT and surrounding region. Operation TOWNSVILLE members arrested a 19-year-old in early June after linking him to home invasions and aggravated robberies in multiple ACT suburbs. The 19-year-old was identified as a leader of this group and, following his apprehension, the criminal activities of the group significantly decreased.

Operation QUORN

During September and October 2022, a rise in commercial burglaries in the ACT was identified. The PIDT quickly determined the syndicate responsible, with a known offender recently released from prison identified as the primary suspect and likely leader of the group. The PIDT was able to quickly apprehend this suspect and conduct search warrants, locating key evidence. Following the arrest, there was an immediate decrease in commercial burglaries.

Further effectiveness of the PIDT strategies include their early work to mitigate an escalation in ‘fail to stop for police’ incidents on Canberra’s roads. This outcome in part led to the creation of ACT Policing’s recently established taskforce, Operation TORIC.

In 2023, the PIDT took up focus on offender management post release from prison and the establishment of a multi-agency community of practice considering facilitators and influencers of crime and offending. This is assisting to deliver projects and evidence-based strategies that support and take the pressure off the front-line by focusing on underlying causation particularly around recidivism.

In late June 2023, ACT Policing hosted the first ever Recidivism Round Table, a forum comprising senior representatives of ACT Government and non-government organisation service providers. The forum discussed how greater levels of collaboration and participation could uplift culture, capacity and capability to better mitigate the underlying causation of repeat offending. Since the meeting the Recidivist Offender Multi-Agency Round Table has been established with Terms of Reference being finalised.

Reducing the over-representation of First Nations peoples

ACT Policing acknowledges the significant challenge of over-representation for First Nations peoples in the criminal justice system. ACT Policing’s First Nations Liaison Officers play a critical role to assist police to identify families at risk, engage with them early, gain trust and refer to relevant culturally appropriate support and education services.

The Ombudsman’s Own Motion Investigation (OMI) called for a review of the First Nations Liaison Officer (FNLO) capability of ACT Policing to ensure it is meeting community expectations and needs. As a result of the OMI findings, ACT Policing along with ETM Perspectives Pty Ltd have engaged with the community, government and justice sector and workforce seeking insights, and that includes considerations around the purpose, shape and function of the FNLO role. The insights gained from this consultation are soon to be provided to ACT Policing and will influence the refinement of the FNLO capability to better respond to and support community and stakeholder needs.

ACT Policing continues to explore alternatives to criminal prosecution, particularly the expansion of the formal cautioning framework for youth and First Nations peoples. ACT Policing, through its Criminal Justice Diversion Officers, continues to work closely with the Restorative Justice Unit of JaCS. This relationship is important to support vulnerable communities through reforms to restorative justice practices and procedures, which in turn assists in achieving our target of diverting all eligible First Nations children and young people (18 years of age) and at least 25 per cent of all eligible 18- to 25-year-old First Nations peoples to restorative justice.

These alternatives to prosecution were developed in consultation with stakeholders and the community, including the CPO’s First Nations Advisory Board, to ensure the inclusion of culturally appropriate diversion options and reforming internal thresholds for cautioning.

ACT Policing continues to provide a list of people wanted for warrants to the Aboriginal Legal Service in connection with the Front-Up Program. The Front-Up Program sees First Nations peoples supported to manage outstanding arrest warrants without passing through police custodial processes.

ACT Policing also lead the establishment of the Aboriginal Liaison Officer Community of Practice for First Nations Liaison Officers within Commonwealth and local government. This enables network opportunities and allows for greater collaboration and communication between these agencies with a common goal.

In enhancing its engagement with First Nations communities, ACT Policing is committed to supporting the AFP’s First Nations Unit and the AFP’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2022-2024 together with justice-related targets found in the Closing the Gap and ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2019-28.

ACT Policing will continue to engage with First Nations peoples in order to improve outcomes and reduce representation in the criminal justice system through the adoption and delivery of early intervention and diversion activities, including the emerging body of work concerning First Nations peoples to soon commence under the Second Action Plan of the ACT Disability Justice Strategy.

Implementing Effective Sexual Assault Prevention and Responses

The CPO’s SOI reiterates the priority for ACT Policing to implement measures that effectively prevent and respond to sexual violence. ACT Policing has specialist investigators in the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Teams (SACAT) who guide victim-survivors through each step of the criminal justice process. SACAT’s primary focus is providing a victim-centric police response to sexual violence in our community.

ACT Policing works closely with victim support groups such as the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre and the ACT Human Rights Commission through Victim Support ACT and the ACT Intermediary Program to deliver support and care to victim-survivors.

ACT Policing acknowledges the SAPR Steering Committee’s Report into sexual violence and the work that all relevant agencies in the ACT can do to improve the experience for victim-survivors of sexual assault. The report’s case studies highlighted a perception that some ACT Policing officers need to develop a better understanding of the spectrum of sexual violence, and that some first impressions of ACT Policing have failed to meet victim-survivors’ expectations. To address this concern, ACT Policing has redeveloped its sexual offences and child abuse training program and delivered three of these programs to over 50 investigators in 2023. The program has been designed with subject matter experts to upskill investigators with contemporary best practice and victim-centric investigation practices. ACT Policing continues to review these issues and seek ways to improve service delivery and support for people who report a sexual assault.

A working group was established in response to Recommendation 15, consisting of the ACT Policing review team, ACT DPP, and Victim Support ACT (VSACT) and is chaired by the Office of the Coordinator General for Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

As part of its commitment to reviewing the workforce structure, training and decision-making, the SACAT investigative function conducted an internal review prior to the release of SAPR. As part of the subsequent recommendations, ACT Policing has strengthened the ACT Criminal Investigations organisational structure to include a Detective Inspector with specific oversight of the SACAT, elevating the leadership and enhancing the decision-making process. An additional Sergeant role has been created to provide increased specialist support to SACAT and Criminal Investigations teams for training, reviewing briefs of evidence, stakeholder engagement and coordination.

Raising the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility (MACR)

ACT Policing will continue to respond to calls for assistance where there is a risk of harm to any member of the community, regardless of changes to the MACR. Police will always act to preserve life and property in protection of the community and will seek to engage support services and diversionary programs relevant to the person’s age.

ACT Policing is committed to initiatives that improve community safety and continue to support the wellbeing of children and young people. ACT Policing remains focused on therapeutic interventions and diverting youth from engagement with the criminal justice system.

The ACT Government introduced the Justice (Age of Criminal Responsibility) Legislation Amendment Bill on 9 May 2023 to raise the MACR in a staged approach, with the following steps:

• The MACR will be initially raised to 12 years old
• The MACR will be further raised to 14 years old to commence on 1 July 2025.

ACT Policing strongly recommends that the relevant 24 hours a day, seven days a week wrap-around support services (including after-hours and crisis accommodation) must be in place and appropriately resourced prior to implementation of the revised MACR, to successfully divert youth away from harmful behaviours, improve their overall wellbeing and result in positive outcomes for community safety in the ACT.

ACT Policing is a member of the cross-directorate MACR Reference Group at Senior Executive Service level and is working with ACT Government partners in assessing the impact and implementation of the revised MACR on both the community and the services supporting it. In 2023-24, ACT Policing will continue to advocate for young people and their carers to have access to appropriate service responses and support.

Combat Dangerous Driving

ACT Policing is committed to initiatives that support and increase the safety of all road users on ACT roads.

In September 2022, ACT Policing provided a submission to the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety in response to the Inquiry into Dangerous Driving. ACT Policing’s submission articulated the challenges ACT Policing experiences in addressing the issue of dangerous driving in the ACT and outlined current strategies employed to target those involved. The proposal discussed key initiatives ACT Policing views as opportunities to increase safety including legislative change and the examination of emerging technologies. It is ACT Policing’s view that there is opportunity to examine policy around bail and appropriate sentencing in regard to the commission of serious offences, which may also impact the rate of recidivism of those contributing to dangerous driving.

The Inquiry’s report, handed down on 20 April 2023, made 28 recommendations covering sentencing, penalties, bail, the role of the Sentencing Administration Board, use of technology, and transparency of the judicial system. Of note to ACT Policing are nine recommendations (2, 5, 9, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19 and 22).

ACT Policing will work with ACT Government to implement the recommendations where appropriate.

ACT Policing will continue to pursue its proposed legislative reforms not captured within the report or within existing public announcements and is committed to working with the ACT Government to make our roads safe.

The intelligence-led Operation TORIC commenced on 1 August 2022, with the intent of using non-traditional policing methods and discrete assets to identify offenders and holding them to account for their actions by putting them before the court.

The aim is to focus on the identification of recidivist dangerous drivers, including ‘fail to stop’ offenders who engage in driving behaviours that place the community and ACT Policing members at risk. Evidence suggests that stopping these types of offenders results in a reduction of other related crimes such as car thefts, assaults and burglaries. Operation TORIC has been relentless in its mission - ensuring that those who believe they are above the law are arrested and placed before the court for their actions.

Between 1 August 2022 and 30 June 2023, 287 apprehensions were made by ACT Policing leading to 704 charges. Of those apprehended, 118 alleged offenders were on bail and 58 were subject to good behaviour obligations (inclusive of Drug Alcohol Treatment Order, Good Behaviour Order, Parole and Intensive Correction Order).

In 2023, ACT Policing will increase its presence with a high-visibility approach across the ACT to deter anti-social and dangerous driving, and influence safe driving practices. Road Policing continues to promote all aspects of road safety through targeted campaigns in line with the ACT Road Safety Calendar.

Countering terrorism and violent extremism

ACT Policing continues to work with partners in National, State and Territory law enforcement agencies to respond to the threat of terrorism and violent extremism.

ACT Policing has a dedicated Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Case Manager role within the Education and Diversion Team of the Vulnerable Persons portfolio.

The ACT Policing CVE Case Manager partners with the ACT JaCS to deliver the Commonwealth funded Living Safe Together Intervention Program (LSTIP), working with individuals and communities vulnerable to radicalisation.

The LSTIP provides support to individuals deemed vulnerable to violent extremism within the ACT community and ensure the ACT Government has the appropriate capability, awareness, and training in place to support them. Referrals to the LSTIP emanate from a range of partners and see the ACT LSTIP Intervention Panel engage with ACT Policing and directorates to assess cases.

Participation in LSTIP is voluntary, requiring agreement on the part of the participant and their parent or guardian (in the case of young people). Individuals who are assessed as not meeting LSTIP requirements may be referred elsewhere for more general community support.

The ACT has previously enrolled two (adult) clients who have since successfully exited from the program after being assessed as no longer requiring support.

In 2023 the LSTIP has seen a significant increase in enquiries, including 16 for assessment and two for enrolments, particularly concerning secondary school aged young people demonstrating an unhealthy interest in extremist ideology and violence. Assessments are submitted to the multi-agency ACT LSTIP Intervention Panel where enrolment is considered.

Since mid-2020 ACT Policing and Canberra Health Services have established a trial ACT FLAG (Fixated and Lone-Actor Grievance-Fuelled Violence) Assessment team, which is the dedicated assessment capability within the ACT. ACT FLAG continues to evolve with the development of joint FLAG operating procedures.

The core function of ACT FLAG is to assess and manage the threat of harm posed by persons with demonstrated fixated behaviours and persons vulnerable to engaging in lone-actor grievance-fuelled violence, where there is suspected or known mental illness or mental disorder influencing behaviours.

Despite implementation challenges which occurred during the establishment of ACT FLAG over a period of COVID-19 restrictions, the capability has played a vital role in assessing and providing early intervention to members of the community at risk of fixated behaviour towards ACT Government officials or lone-actor grievance-fuelled violence towards the broader ACT community.

Future priorities for FLAG include ongoing outreach and education to referral services and to continue to increase community visibility of FLAG.

The Australian Institute of Criminology, in partnership with the ANU, was commissioned by the ACT Government to evaluate the Fixated Threat Assessment Capability of the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. An interim report was completed in late 2021, and the final revised report has been sent for authorisation and endorsement by the ACT Government.

Family Violence

Family violence related assaults have increased by 12 per cent in the 2022-23 financial year when compared to the 2021-22 financial year.

In the 2022-23 financial year:

• There was an average of 11 family violence incidents per day
• 44 per cent of assaults reported to police were family violence related
• 35 per cent of family violence related offences reported to police were cleared by arrest.

ACT Policing continues to improve its response to family violence and work with partner agencies to provide a safer environment for victim-survivors.

The purpose of ACT Policing’s FVU is to:

• Identify high-risk offenders and vulnerable persons through reviewing family violence incidents and exchanging information with key partner support agencies.
• Engage with persons at risk of offending to ensure compliance with bail conditions and protection orders, engage with support agencies and educate perpetrators to ensure that they have a sound understanding of those conditions and consequences of failing to comply.
• Assist victim-survivors to obtain court orders when they do not wish to be supported by agencies stationed within the court facility.
• Provide training to assist frontline members in understanding the complex contextual issues surrounding trauma and victim-survivors.

The FVU’s focus is tailored towards offender accountability and victim-safety approaches for both victims and perpetrators of family violence. To achieve this, the FVU works closely with Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (CRCC), Domestic Violence Crisis Service (DVCS), Child and Youth Protection Service (CYPS) and VSACT in sharing information and developing strategies to support victim-survivors and hold perpetrators to account.

In response to the jurisdictional priority of addressing coercive control, the FVU has reviewed and facilitated police family violence refresher training, working with partner agencies DVCS, CYPS and CRCC.

To ensure the continuing success of the FVU in supporting ACT Policing members and the broader community, the FVU has completed a body of work to generate and implement system level change by:

• Modernising case tracking through the use of a SharePoint document hosted online which reduces red-tape and ensures consistency and ease of access for those requiring it, improving inter-agency communication
• Adjusting the way police engage with the courts with court initiated Special Interim Family Violence Orders (FVOs)
• Improving the way FVOs are served and managed on persons in custody
• Submitting a legislative reform proposal around aiding and abetting provisions regarding breaching FVOs
• Providing input into other legislative and policy reform initiatives.

The FVU recognises the importance of the Family Violence Early Intervention Program and has maintained a commitment to contacting family violence offenders and attempting to redirect their recidivist behaviour.

Executives from ACT Policing’s Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons portfolio organised a roundtable with external stakeholders in June 2023. This featured a presentation by Queensland Police on an artificial-intelligence-informed prediction model for family violence. This model is currently being trialled in Queensland and as a result, working relationships between jurisdictions comparing approaches to family and domestic violence are being strengthened.

ACT Policing recognises that women and children are disproportionately affected by domestic and family violence. ACT Policing will continue to work with relevant support services to mitigate the trauma experienced by victims and to ensure that they are supported and protected.

Improvements to the Family Violence Targeted Response Strategy provides the opportunity for repeat victim-survivors of family violence to meet face-to-face with investigators from the FVU. This opportunity extends to survivors of historical family violence and referrals from partner agencies. This face-to-face meeting provides an informal opportunity for investigators to explain support services, investigate new avenues and set expectations around what occurs during the judicial process.

ACT Policing is committed to improving the experience for victim-survivors of family violence, including working with our partner agencies and support services in the ACT. Critical information is shared by ACT Policing to assist other agencies, who in turn have helped identify a number of at-risk people in the community who have not intersected with law enforcement in the past. Success has led to greater collaboration and interaction with victim-survivors who may have held fear or mistrust of police due to cultural factors or their own lived experience.

ACT Policing continues to provide representation on family violence case tracking and Family Violence Safety Advisory Program forums.

Strengthening Community to Prevent Exploitation by Organised Crime

ACT Policing has continued to work to prevent and disrupt serious and organised crime targeting the ACT community. This is achieved through a number of investigative strategies and initiatives.

In the 2022-23 ACT Government Budget, ACT Policing received $2.52 million over four years to commence the establishment of a Joint Organised Crime Task Force to disrupt serious and organised crime, including criminal groups, drug trafficking and supply within the ACT.

ACT Policing Drugs and Organised Crime Team (DOCT) impacts on the criminal environment through the targeting of persons involved in criminal activity, which enables the Criminal Assets Investigation Team to restrain and seize proceeds of crime. The restraint and forfeiture of proceeds of crime is often seen to have greater impact on organised crime activity than facing criminal prosecutions only.

DOCT has seized nearly 400 kilograms of illicit drugs over the past three years, which has prevented these harmful drugs from entering the community. This has significantly reduced the ability of local organised crime networks to profit from the sale and supply of these illicit drugs.

ACT Policing made 553 illicit drug seizures in 2022-23. Specific successes in 2022-23 include:

Operation KILMORE

In December 2022, ACT Policing seized more than $500,000 worth of property and arrested a 32-year-old Googong (NSW) man for alleged drug trafficking offences after a three-month operation.

On 2 September 2022, police executed a search warrant at a residence in Garran and located four firearms, approximately 85 grams of heroin, 85 grams of methylamphetamine, 278 grams of MDMA, 1,486ml of 1,4-butanediol, large amounts of steroids and other pharmaceuticals, more than $60,000 in cash, and several electronic devices. These items were seized and a 36-year-old man was arrested and charged with multiple firearm and drug offences.

On 6 October 2022, police executed a second search warrant at the Garran residence, during which the Googong man was present, and in possession of two mobile phones. Subsequent investigations linked these mobile phones to alleged drug trafficking and firearms trading.

On 19 October 2022, police stopped the Googong man while he was driving and, in a search of his vehicle, located four mobile phones and more than $60,000 in cash. The man’s BMW M4 was seized.

On 15 December 2022, officers conducted a traffic stop on the man as he entered the ACT. Search warrants were then executed simultaneously on the Googong man’s vehicle, residence and a business premises in Mitchell. During the warrants, police seized:

• A modified Mercedes G-Wagon 4WD
• A Harley Davidson motorcycle
• Jewellery
• More than $100,000 in cryptocurrency
• Prohibited weapons
• Steroids
• Documents
• Electronic devices.

The 32-year-old Googong man was arrested and appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on 16 December 2022 charged with two counts of trafficking in a controlled drug, three counts of joint commission of trafficking in a controlled drug, dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime, and using an unregistered vehicle.

Operation PHOBETOR-OBORIN

In March 2023, ACT Policing’s Drugs and Organised Crime Team commenced an investigation, codenamed Operation PHOBETOR-OBORIN, in relation to the trafficking of commercial quantities of illicit drugs into the ACT by an organised crime syndicate. As a result of this investigation:

• Three people have been charged and are currently before court. Charges include trafficking in commercial quantities of illicit drugs and participating in a criminal group
• Approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine has been seized
• Nine dedicated encrypted devices have been seized
• Approximately $1.5 million in criminal assets has been restrained.

Translator and Interpreter Services

The AFP is obligated under the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement to report ACT Policing’s use of translators and interpreters in its Annual Report. In 2023 the Minister for Police and Emergency Services approved the removal of ACT Policing’s reporting on its use of translators and interpreters in its Annual Report for 2022-23, as a result of its transition to a new service provider and data capture mechanism. Reporting is expected to resume in 2023-24.

Case Study

Volunteers in Policing

The Volunteers in Policing Program operates within the ACT, in support of ACT Policing. Volunteers bring a wealth of skills, knowledge and experience to the variety of roles across ACT Policing, which support officers and the community.

The members of ACT Policing’s Volunteers in Policing Program have collected numerous accolades over the years at the ACT Volunteer of the Year Awards and continue to positively impact ACT Policing members and the community more broadly.

In March 2023, 13 new volunteers joined ACT Policing. The group are already proving their commitment to continuing the strong reputation that police volunteers have established over the years.

After one month of training across all aspects of the diverse roles and teams within the AFP, the newly graduated volunteers settled quickly into the Volunteers in Policing Program.

As at 30 June 2023, ACT Policing has 63 volunteers, comprising 35 men and 28 women ranging in age from 23 to 91. During the reporting period, the volunteers contributed 15,952 voluntary hours.

Our volunteers often serve as the face of ACT Policing, providing administrative assistance in the front offices across the ACT’s five police stations and assisting at official community events. The volunteers also support ACT Policing’s officers behind the scenes with role playing for police recruit and detective training, and catering at various training events.

ACT Policing volunteers have also received fingerprint training which involves fingerprinting members of the public who require prints for employment checks, visas, immigration or permanent residency applications. Nine volunteers from the recent graduating course were also sworn in as Justices of the Peace to assist with their supporting role in the front offices of the stations.

It is not only the variety of tasks and roles police volunteers perform that motivate them to turn up day after day. ACT Policing’s volunteers will tell you it is the long and lasting friendships they have made with their police officer colleagues and with other volunteers that they appreciate the most, along with a shared commitment to providing the best possible service to those who need it, and the satisfaction from giving back to the community.

Case Study

25 Years of Tuggeranong Police Station

On Sunday 18 December 2022, Tuggeranong Police Station marked its 25th anniversary.

After 15 years serving at the original Tuggeranong Valley Station in Erindale, officers were relocated into the specially designed $6 million building on 18 December 1997. The opening of the building on the corner of Anketell Street and Soward Way coincided with the opening of the new town centre and it was situated to respond to community needs more efficiently and effectively.

The new station was almost five times the size of the original station and accommodated up to 120 staff. It also included a medical room, interview rooms, holding cells, a gymnasium and locker room and electronic key access.

Now retired, Superintendent Alan Castle was the first to lead the new station, with a staff of 76 members responsible for delivering a full range of policing services to the then Tuggeranong population of 90,000 people.

Tuggeranong Police Station continues to actively serve the district and its members are proud to assist the Tuggeranong community.

The milestone was celebrated by hosting an open day for families of current and former members to learn more about the important work of ACT Policing and their loved ones in the job.

The occasion also served as an opportunity for members and their families to look behind the scenes and learn more about the various services available to support them.

The open day saw children greeted by Constable Kenny Koala, merchandise giveaways and a police vehicle display.

Retired Superintendent Alan Castle was also on hand to share a story and cut a cake.

Officer in Charge of Tuggeranong Police Station, Inspector Rod Anderson, said the event was a wonderful opportunity to show the families and loved ones of our members their workplace and share some history.

‘I think it is a great way to help families understand the members’ work environment and hopefully it also assists in reducing the stress and anxiety of our members when they’re off-duty, particularly after a traumatic or stressful event,’ Inspector Anderson said.

Case Study

A Dream Come True for William

On 3 February 2023, officers from Tuggeranong Police Station and many areas of the wider AFP came together to make a deserving little boy’s wish come true.

Tuggeranong Police Station was approached by the Make-A-Wish Australia Foundation, which creates life-changing wishes for critically ill children. This wish was for eight-year-old William, whose dream was to be a police officer for the day. Officer-in-Charge of Tuggeranong Police Station, Inspector Rod Anderson, and the amazing Police Volunteers were more than happy to grant this wish!

Months in the making, and plenty of hard work behind the scenes, meant the action-packed day of fun would be one that William and his family will never forget.

His experience started with a video from Constable Kenny Koala inviting him to be a police officer for the day. William couldn’t believe his eyes. To get him even more excited, for several days in the lead up William was sent police activities and information about police to prepare him.

The special day finally arrived and officers from Tuggeranong Police Station attended William’s home in their police car to collect their newest recruit and his family members.

William was presented with a uniform to wear for the day to match his heroes, officers helped him ‘kit up’ to look the part, and Junior Constable William was ready to roll. He was partnered up with Constable Sam Weick and commenced duty as part of radio call sign Tuggeranong 14.

Shortly after starting their shift, Tuggeranong 14 were tasked to investigate the minor theft of a Spiderman backpack. Junior Constable William took down details of a suspect vehicle and began his investigation. The first stop of the day was Forensics, where William was given a tour and learnt about fingerprints at crime scenes. He learnt how to dust for prints, lift and then study them at the lab and how they assist police to identify criminals.

He then turned his focus to road safety, making his way to the Majura Training Complex. While ‘on patrol’ he spotted a vehicle matching the description the victim had given earlier in the day. He and his partner, Constable Weick, stopped the vehicle, questioned the driver, conducted a breath test and issued a ticket!

The day continued, as the officers took Junior Constable William to visit the National Canine Operations Centre. He met some adorable police canines, learnt about their important role, care and training, saw them in action, and assisted one canine and their handler to search a house.

He then helped with another search of nearby bushland, locating a plush canine toy which he kept close by for the rest of the day.

The excitement continued as they made their way to AFP Maritime, boarded a police boat and cruised around Lake Burley Griffin. Junior Constable William learnt about their role and the interesting things police divers find during searches. While on the water, officers received a call on the radio of suspicious activity and a Spiderman backpack near the National Carillon.

The team made their way over and Junior Constable William conducted a search and located the backpack! He contacted the owner to give them the good news and organised to meet them back at the station. He met the victim and was beaming from ear to ear as he proudly returned the backpack to its very grateful owner. This was an important experience for William to see and feel what it was like to genuinely help someone.

The group then had a tour of Tuggeranong Police Station, where he checked out a Road Policing motorbike and car and met more police officers and Constable Kenny Koala.

Junior Constable William was presented with a certificate of bravery, and he and his siblings were also presented with bags full of ACT Policing and Constable Kenny Koala goodies to remember the special day.

After the most exciting day of William’s life, the officers returned him home and said their farewells. William couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as they waved goodbye!

It was an absolute honour to grant William’s wish. Such a little legend!

5 Professional Standards

• AFP Professional Standards Framework and AFP Conduct Issues
• ACT Policing Complaint Statistics
• Trends Analysis

The term professional standards relates to the Commissioner’s expectation that all AFP appointees, including those in ACT Policing, will serve with integrity.

AFP Professional Standards, which sits within the AFP’s Security Command, is responsible for developing and maintaining the highest professional standards throughout the organisation, as well as overseeing and investigating complaints about the conduct of AFP appointees.

The AFP’s professional standards are underpinned by the AFP Core Values (see Chapter 3: Our Values) and the AFP Code of Conduct. Further information on the AFP Values and the AFP Code of Conduct is available on the AFP website (www.afp.gov.au).

AFP Professional Standards Framework and AFP Conduct Issues

AFP Professional Standards is responsible for the development and maintenance of a robust and transparent framework to safeguard and strengthen the integrity of the AFP. It operates under Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth) (AFP Act) to support the agency and its appointees through the AFP’s integrity framework, based on the key elements of prevention, detection, response, investigation and continuous improvement.

Integrated Complaints Management Model

In 2022-23, the AFP enhanced the complaints framework by introducing a single entry point for raising workplace issue and complaints. The model reduces complexity, enhances communication and timeliness and promotes transparency and consistency in decision-making.

The Workplace Issues and Complaints Resolution Team (Resolution Team) launched on 1 March 2023, and is comprised of a network of contact officers, case managers and administrative investigators who work in partnership with Professional Standards, the Confidant Network and Safe Reporting, SHIELD and AFP business areas, to ensure a supportive complaints resolution process for our people.

The Resolution Team supports members to navigate the grievance and complaints process and identifies other alternative resolution processes if more appropriate. A dedicated team has also been established to investigate Category 1 and Category 2 complaints.

The team also deals with external complaints and has extensive engagement and collaboration with external partners, including Victims Support ACT, the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Part V of the AFP Act defines the categories of complaints relating to AFP appointees.

Complaints are dealt with as breaches of the AFP Code of Conduct and fall into four categories:

• Category 1 relating to minor management issues, customer service and performance matters
• Category 2 relating to minor misconduct, and inappropriate behaviour
• Category 3 relating to serious misconduct
• Category 4 relating to corruption issues.

Category 1 and 2 complaints were managed by line managers through the ACT Policing Complaints Management Team (ACT CMT) until the launch of the Resolution Team on 1 March 2023. Category 1 and 2 matters are now triaged and managed by the Resolution Team.

The Resolution Team refers serious misconduct and corruption matters (Category 3 and 4) to AFP Professional Standards for investigation. Category 3 matters are subject to additional oversight and are reported to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

For the 2022-23 financial year, Category 4 Corruption issues (defined by the Australian Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006 (Cth)) were required to be reported to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI). These matters were deemed to be either significant or non-significant corruption and ACLEI determined if they would be investigated by:

• ACLEI
• ACLEI with the AFP jointly
• AFP with ACLEI oversight or management
• AFP without ACLEI oversight or management.

As of 1 July 2023, the AFP will start reporting to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The AFP will only be required to refer corruption matters that fit within the definition of ‘serious and systemic’. All other corruption matters will be investigated by AFP Professional Standards.

ACT Policing Complaint Statistics

Complaint Data

All data related to complaints was extracted from the AFP’s SAS Visual Analytics suite, which is a live system, updated on a daily basis. This report is reflective of Category 1-4 complaints that relate to members of ACT Policing. The data for this report was extracted and accurate as at 4 July 2023. This data is subject to change as complaints are upgraded, downgraded, merged, allocated and re-opened.

During the financial year 2022-23, AFP Professional Standards received 64 complaints relating to ACT Policing, resulting in 122 alleged conduct breaches² being recorded.

Table 5.1: Alleged complaints recorded during 2022-23, by source

Table 5.2: Alleged conduct breaches recorded during last four years, by category ³

Non-compliance with Body Worn Camera Governance

As at 4 July 2023, for the 2022-23 year no complaints regarding the use of, or failure to use a Body Worn Camera4 by any ACT Policing member were received by Professional Standards. Further to this, no complaints were received involving the non-compliance or governance breaches against mandatory Body Worn Camera use, based on the requirements under the Crime (Surveillance Devices) Act 2010 (ACT) or the 2022 Crimes (Surveillance Devices) Body-worn Cameras Guidelines Disallowable Instrument.

Table 5.3: Finalised conduct breaches⁵ during 2022-23, by category⁶

• 2 Conduct breaches are individual issues identified within a complaint. Multiple breaches may be applied when two or more conduct issues are identified from information supplied by a complainant or when two or more members are subject to a complaint.
• 3 Part V of the AFP Act 1979 defines the categories of conduct. Category 1 is the least serious category and predominantly relates to customer service breaches. Category 2 is minor misconduct and Category 3 is serious misconduct. For the 2022-23 financial year Corruption issues were referred to ACLEI.
• 4 Based on incident description of ‘Body Worn Camera - Non-compliance with governance (BWC)’.
• 5 Includes breaches submitted before 1 July 2021.
• 6 This table only includes matters where the case was finalised. This table includes matters reported before 1 July 2018.
• 7 Section 40TF of the AFP Act sets out the circumstances under which the Commissioner may decide to take no further action in relation to a conduct issue (discretion not to proceed). These circumstances include when appropriate action has already been taken or further investigation is determined to be not warranted or the alleged issue took place more than 12 months before reporting.

Table 5.4: Finalised established conduct breaches during 2022-23

Timeliness of Complaints

Timeliness benchmarks are applied to Category 1-3 complaints. The benchmarks are:

• 42 days for Category 1 matters (if not informally resolved within five business days)
• 66 days for Category 2 matters
• 256 days for Category 3 matters.

Corruption issues fall under the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006 (Cth) and are not subject to a timeliness benchmark.

Table 5.5: Average and median⁸ run time of finalised complaints 2022-23⁹

Table 5.6: Complaints on hand¹², as at 3 July 2023

Table 5.7: Number of informal complaints reported to the CMT or the Resolution Team 2022-23

Table 5.8: Number of victims’ rights related complaints reported 2022-23

• 8 Median (50th percentile) is the middle number in a sorted ascending or descending list of numbers. Median can be more descriptive of a data set than the average. The median can be used as opposed to average, where there are outliers in the set of numbers that might skew the average of the values. For example, an extremely long investigation or an extremely short investigation can inadvertently significantly skew the average.
• 9 Investigation of conduct breaches may span financial years from reporting stage to finalisation.
• 10 10 Indicates the average run time of all complaints, i.e. this calculation is not an average of an average.
• 11 Indicates the median run time of all complaints, i.e. this calculation is not the median of a median.
• 12 This table includes all complaints recorded on the AFP’s Complaint Recording and Management System where the investigation is yet to be finalised and relates to a member of ACT Policing.
• 13 Corruption issues are not subject to a timeliness benchmark.
• 14 Some victims’ rights related complaints relate to multiple sections of the Victims’ Rights Charter; therefore, the overall number of rights may be higher than the overall number of complaints.

Trends Analysis

Alleged Complaints and Conduct Breaches Submitted

Compared to 2021-22, ACT Policing has seen a 9.9 per cent decrease in the total number of complaints submitted relating to ACT Policing members (71 to 64) during the 2022-23 year. The source of the complaints submitted in 2022-23 from a member of the public (39) remained relatively consistent when compared with the 2021-22 year (38). The number of complaints made by another AFP member decreased by 30.3 per cent during the 2022-23 year compared to the 2021-22 year (33 to 23). There were two self-reported complaints relating to members of ACT Policing during the 2022-23 year.

Compared to 2021-22, ACT Policing have seen a 3.9 per cent decrease in total alleged conduct breaches (127 to 122) during 2022-23, and a 43.5 per cent decrease compared to the 2018-19 year (216 to 122).

Category 1 — ACT Policing has seen no change in alleged Category 1 breaches compared to the previous year (44). The alleged Category 1 breaches submitted in the 2022-23 year are 35.3 per cent lower than the alleged Category 1 breaches submitted in the 2019-20 year (68 to 44).

Category 2 — Compared to the 2021-22 year, there was a slight decrease of 2.6 per cent in the number of alleged Category 2 breaches submitted (39 to 38). The alleged Category 2 breaches submitted in the 2022-23 year are 9.5 per cent lower than the alleged Category 2 breaches submitted in the 2019-20 year (42 to 38). Of the last five years, the 2022-23 year had the lowest number of all Category 2 breaches submitted.

Category 3 — Compared to the 2021-22 year, ACT Policing has seen a 6.7 per cent increase in the number of alleged Category 3 breaches submitted (30 to 32). The alleged Category 3 breaches submitted in the 2022-23 year are 31.9 per cent lower than those submitted in the 2019-20 year (47 to 32).

Corruption Issues — ACT Policing has seen a decrease of 42.9 per cent in alleged corruption issues submitted compared to 2021-22 year (14 to 8). Of the last five years, the 2022-23 year had the lowest number of alleged corruption related breaches submitted.

The topmost alleged breaches submitted against ACT Policing members in the 2022-23 year were:

Category 1

• Practice or Procedure Issues - 12 breaches
• Advice Failure - 11 breaches
• Inadequate Service - 10 breaches

Category 2

• Due Care/Diligence Failure - 10 breaches
• Fail to Comply with Procedure - 10 breaches
• Inappropriate Behaviour/Conduct - 6 breaches

Category 3

• Inappropriate Behaviour/Conduct Serious - 8 breaches
• Driving Misconduct - 7 breaches
• Criminal Misconduct - 2 breaches

Corruption Issues

• Abuse of Office - 4 breaches
• Pervert Course of Justice - 3 breaches
• Perjury - 1 breach

Finalised Complaints and Conduct Breaches

In 2022-23 Professional Standards, ACT Complaints Management Team (CMT) and the Resolution Team finalised 64 complaints (137 conduct breaches). This is a decrease of 34.7 per cent of complaints and a decrease of 24.3 per cent of breaches finalised compared to the 2021-22 year (98 complaints consisting of 181 breaches).

Of the 64 complaints finalised in 2022-23, four were corruption issues with no investigation benchmark. 53.3 per cent (32) of the other 60 complaints were finalised within their investigation benchmark compared to 51.2 per cent (43 of the 84 complaints) for the 2021-22 year.

When compared to the 2021-22 year, a higher share of ACT Policing related Category 2 and Category 3 investigations were finalised within their benchmark in 2022-23. Category 2 had 58.3 per cent in 2022-23, compared to 35.7 per cent in 2021-22. Category 3 had 61.5 per cent in 2022-23 compared to 55.2 per cent in 2021-22.

In the 2022-23 year, there were 137 finalised Category 1-4 conduct breaches which resulted in the following conduct breach findings:

• 16.1 per cent (22) Established
• 57.7 per cent (79) Not Established
• 25.5 per cent (35) Discretion not to Proceed
• 0.7 per cent (1) Withdrawn.

The percentage of Established Category 1-4 conduct breaches finalised in 2022-23 decreased by 42.1 per cent compared to the 2021-22 year (38 to 22). While the percentage of Not Established Category 1-4 conduct breaches finalised during the same period decreased by 33.6 per cent (119 to 79). There was a 50 per cent increase in the overall number of conduct breaches that were finalised within the same year, and had a finding of Discretion Not to Proceed or Withdrawn.

Following a recommendation from the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Ombudsman in their recent Part V Inspection Report, AFP Professional Standards has refined its processes. As a result of this change, there is an increase in alleged conduct breaches submitted that are finalised with a finding applied of ‘s.40TF Discretion not to proceed’. This includes complaints where due diligence inquiries are made on receipt of the complaint and it is determined there is no basis for the complaint. For example, due diligence inquiries may include reviewing Body Worn Camera footage or closed circuit television and conducting systems access audits.

To maintain proper oversight and ensure AFP complaint investigations maintain integrity and fairness in practice and process, the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Ombudsman undertakes an annual review of randomly selected complaint investigations. ACT Policing and the AFP work closely with the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Ombudsman to adopt the principles of best practice for complaint management.

Established Matters

Of the last five years, the 2022-23 year had the lowest number of Established conduct breaches (range of 22 to 43). Of the 22 Established breaches, 10 of those were Category 2 conduct breaches, which represented the highest portion of all Established Category 1-4 conduct breaches with 45.5 per cent. This is consistent with Category 2 Established conduct issues being the highest portion, or equal to the highest portion of Established breach conduct categories across the last four financial years.

In the 2022-23 year, 20.4 per cent of the finalised Category 2 conduct breaches had a finding of Established, compared to 42.4 per cent in the previous year. In the 2022-23 year, 21.2 per cent of finalised Category 3 conduct breaches had a finding of Established, compared to 14.5 per cent in the previous year. In the 2022-23 year, of the finalised corruption issues there were 50 per cent (2) Not Established, 50 per cent (2) Discretion Not to Proceed, and positively, none were Established.

The most prevalent Established conduct breach type in the 2022-23 financial year was Inappropriate Behaviour/Conduct (3). This is the same as 2021-22.

As outlined in the SOI dated 18 December 2020¹⁵, Commissioner Kershaw set a target of Category 1-4 Established Professional Standards breaches to be less than 3.1 per 100 staff members. ACT Policing has met this target, resulting in 2.2 Established Category 1-4 conduct breaches per 100 staff members. The breakdown of Established Category 1 and 2 conduct breaches per 100 staff is 1.5, and the breakdown of Established Category 3 conduct breaches per 100 staff is 0.7.

• 15 The AFP Commissioner’s SOI, 18 December 2020.

6 Use of Force

All AFP members including those in ACT Policing are governed by AFP Commissioner’s Order 3 (CO3) in the application of use of force principles. CO3 articulates mandatory compliance requirements in reporting and training.

All police members receive use of force training, during which the principles of communication and conflict de-escalation are emphasised as alternatives to the use of physical force. Police members are required to complete these use of force qualifications annually.

In all cases where members use force that is not a routine use of force the officer must, as soon as practical, submit a use of force report. ‘Use’ is defined with respect to the type of force used, which is as follows:

• Firearm, conducted electrical weapon or chemical agent (OC Spray) or extended range impact weapon:
  • drawing
  • aiming
  • discharging
• Baton:
  • raising with the intention to strike or gain compliance
  • striking a person
• Shield:
  • striking a person with any part of the shield
• Police dog:
  • directed intentional deployment at a person with the intention to gain compliance whether or not the police dog bites the subject
  • defence of itself, handler or any other person
• Pyrotechnic device:
  • discharging the device so that concussive force, light, sound or any combination of these is emitted against another person¹⁶
• Long range audio device:
  • Emitting sound from the device against another person to gain subject control.16

Routine use of force means the following uses of force performed as part of an AFP appointee’s operational duties:

• compliant escort or restraint holds (including to effect an arrest)
• compliant handcuffing
• compliant search of a person
• force to enter a building, vehicle, vessel, or other secured area to search, recover, seize or arrest, where there is no application of force against a person.

Routine uses of force or verbal commands which do not involve the application of use of force options are not reportable. The circumstances of each routine use of force incident event must be recorded within the relevant PROMIS case.

All use of force reports are assessed for compliance with CO3 by the officer’s supervisor. When reviewing the report the supervisor must identify, address and report to Professional Standards any suspected misconduct issues arising from the reportable use of force incident. In addition, the Ombudsman can, and does, enquire as to use of force incidents and is empowered to make recommendations for the ongoing transparency of use of force recording and reporting processes.

The principles of negotiation, communication and de-escalation are always emphasised as being primary considerations prior to using physical force. Governance and oversight arrangements are in place to assure the community that any use of force is applied appropriately.

• 16 This use of force option is available to Specialist Protective Services only.

During the 2022-23 reporting year, the number of use of force reports submitted by ACT Policing increased 12.5 per cent when compared to the previous year.

Table 6.1: Summary of the number of use of force reports submitted by ACT Policing

AFP’s Review of the Use of Spit Hoods

In October 2022, a Review of the Use of Spit Hoods by the AFP was commissioned by the Chair of the AFP’s Operational Safety Committee, at the request of the AFP Commissioner. The Review made five recommendations, with the key recommendation being the AFP should consider discontinuing the use of spit hoods. The Review found the risk of continuing to utilise spit hoods outweighed any potential benefits, and so all five recommendations were accepted, with the use of spit hoods discontinued from 9 March 2023.

7 Staffing Profile

• Average Full-Time Equivalent and headcount
• ACT Policing workforce composition headcount
• Average length of service by gender

ACT Policing reports on members by headcount and Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). Headcount is the number of ACT Policing members as at 30 June 2023. FTE figures are reported as an average over the full financial year and exclude members who are classified ‘inoperative unpaid’ (members who are on leave and not being paid by ACT Policing)¹⁷. The reporting of average FTE provides the most accurate reporting of resourcing across the year.

In line with the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement, ACT Policing’s FTE is supplemented by the enabling services of the AFP. In 2022-23, 203 nominal FTE were purchased to support ACT Policing under the enabling services model. This notional FTE of sworn and professional members represents the services provided by the broader AFP in the delivery of community policing services to the ACT. Examples of such services include the Specialist Response Group, Forensics and Professional Standards. Reported FTE figures are higher than the reported headcount due to the inclusion of these enabling FTE.

The enabling FTE of 203 excludes ACT Policing members conducting Commonwealth-funded duties and SHIELD services, and as such this is not reflected in any of the reported headcount figures.

As at 30 June 2023, there were a total of 1,015 members within ACT Policing, of which 3.84 per cent identify as First Nations peoples, a decrease from 4.38 per cent in 2021-22. ACT Policing is committed to increasing its First Nations workforce, in accordance with the AFP Reconciliation Action Plan 2022-2024, to achieve greater workforce diversity that is reflective of the community we serve.

Over a third of the total ACT Policing workforce were female (41.28 per cent), with females representing 31.74 per cent of the 731 sworn members in ACT Policing. This is an increase of 0.91 per cent from 30.82 per cent in 2021-22. ACT Policing had 93 police recruits commence in the 2022-23 financial year, of which 36.6 per cent were female.

2.76 per cent of members identified as people with disability, which is an increase of 1.80 per cent compared with 2021-22.

Employees aged between 25 and 44 account for 63.25 per cent of ACT Policing’s workforce, with employees aged over 50 accounting for 18.42 per cent of the workforce.

The average length of service has decreased to 9.56 years, compared to 10.03 years in 2021-22.

• 17 Prior to 2018-19, ACT Policing reported FTE as an actual figure as at 30 June.

Average Full-Time Equivalent and headcount

Table 7.1: Average Full-Time Equivalent and headcount for 2022-23

Table 7.2: Headcount as at 30 June 2023 by gender

• 18 AFP Enabling capability less Commonwealth funded FTE. This nominal FTE is comprised of a mix of sworn and unsworn roles.
• 19 This figure represents ACT Government funded positions, which includes capability provided by the AFP.

Table 7.3: ACT Policing workforce composition headcount as at 30 June 2023²⁰

Average length of service by gender

• 20 This table details substantive positions only.
• 21 Inspector level.
• 22 Superintendent or Coordinator level.
• 23 Chief Police Officer, Deputy Chief Police Officer, Commander Operations, Commander Investigations and Executive General Manager Corporate.

Table 7.4: Headcount as at 30 June 2023 by employment category and gender

Table 7.5: Average length of service by gender

Table 7.6: Headcount as at 30 June 2023 by division/branch

Table 7.7: Headcount as at 30 June 2023 by division/branch and employment type

• 24 A contract of employment that is made for a specific period of time.
• 25 Where an employee is engaged on a casual basis to do work that is intermittent or irregular in nature.

Table 7.8: Headcount as at 30 June 2023 by age group and gender

Table 7.9: Headcount as at 30 June 2023 by diversity²⁶

• 26 This data has been captured using an optional self-reporting mechanism. As a result, this data may not accurately reflect the actual numbers of First Nations members, culturally and linguistically diverse members, and people with disability within the organisation.
• 27 A culturally and linguistically diverse person is a person who was born overseas, has at least one parent born overseas or speaks a language other than English at home.

8 Financials

• Financial Performance
• Financial Analysis
• Asset Management

Under the 2022-26 Purchase Agreement between the ACT Government, AFP and the CPO, ACT Policing was appropriated $205.458 million to deliver community policing services to the ACT for the 2022-23 financial year.

Financial Performance

The following financial information is based on audited Financial Reports for 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Our fiscal decisions supported a strong financial position in 2022-23, with a small surplus of $0.020 million (or 0.01 per cent).

Financial Analysis

Total revenue received by the AFP for the provision of policing services to the ACT was $212.923 million (including base appropriation, resources received free of charge and other revenue). This represented an increase of $10.496 million compared with the previous financial year (2021-22). The increase resulted primarily from additional funding for the following measures:

• ACT Policing Enterprise Agreement - technical adjustment ($4.902m)
• The Police Services Model (PSM) ($5.640m)
• ACT Policing Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team ($0.580m)
• ACT Policing Organised Crime Task Force ($0.460m)
• Police, Ambulance and Clinician Early Response (PACER) ($0.444m)
• Fixated and Lone-Actor Grievance-Fuelled Violence (FLAG) ($0.263m)
• Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) - the Review ($0.714m)
• Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Reinvestigation Team ($0.245m).

An additional amount was received through the Treasurer’s Advance:

• Board of Inquiry legal fees ($1.900m)
• Costs awarded against police ($0.311m).

Offset by reduction in:

• Radio Core funding received in 2021-22 ($3.450m)
• Prior year COVID Compliance ($2.400m).

In addition to this the increase also includes:

• Rollover of appropriation for the PSM ($1.133m).

Total expenses amounted to $212.903 million which is an increase of $13.469 million compared to the 2021-22 financial year. The increased expenditure relates to new and additional budget initiatives funded through the ACT Government budget process. PSM contributed $4.277 million to the increase in employee expenses compared to the 2021-22 financial year.

Annual financial statements for the reporting period, accompanied by the Auditor-General’s independent audit report, can be found at Appendix 1: Financial statements.

Asset Management

Assets Managed

Many of the facilities and infrastructure used by ACT Policing are owned by the ACT Government. Asset management for the facilities and infrastructure is the responsibility of JaCS, supported by ACT Policing.

Table 8.1 shows the assets managed by ACT Policing. As at 30 June 2023, the total value was $9.800 million.

Table 8.1: Assets managed by ACT Policing

Assets Maintenance and Update

Separate to facilities, ACT Policing conducted a number of capability asset upgrades and replacements throughout 2022-23. These included additional closed circuit television trailers, 50 speed laser units, conducted electrical weapons, ballistic spike rated vest generation 1 replacements and 20 automatic number plate recognition units through asset replacement.

Capability replacement, upgrades and repairs, and maintenance support positive outcomes for ACT Policing and the wider community through maintaining high standards of equipment, safety and technical advancement.

Accommodation

In accordance with Policing Arrangement and 2022-26 Purchase Agreement, the ACT Government is responsible for the provision of appropriate facilities and associated infrastructure for the provision of policing services by the AFP. The ACT Government provides eight of the 11 sites occupied by ACT Policing which includes six police stations. ACT Policing employs 1,015 members (headcount) occupying 34,896 square metres as detailed in Table 8.2.

Table 8.2: Asset maintenance

Capital Works

Six capital works projects were completed across ACT Policing sites during the reporting period. Details of the completed works are presented in the following tables.

Table 8.3: Completed works projects 2022-23

New Works Project 1

New Works Project 2

New Works Project 3

New Works Project 4

New Works Project 5

New Works Project 6

Government Contracting

As a Commonwealth agency, ACT Policing complies with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013(Cth). ACT Policing applies the Commonwealth Procurement Rules when procuring property and services, through the Commissioners Financial Instructions.

Government Procurement Polices

Under Commonwealth Procurement Rules, the AFP is required to undertake the following in relation to procurements:

• Publish all open approaches to the market on AusTender
• Require procurements valued at $80,000 or more to be conducted through open approaches to the market (select tendering and direct sourcing for procurements valued at $80,000 or more are only allowed in limited circumstances)
• Report the details of all awarded procurement contracts and purchases valued at $10,000 or more on AusTender within six weeks of the AFP entering into the arrangement.

The AusTender website can be accessed at www.tenders.gov.au.

Procurements Exempted from Quotation and Tender Threshold

ACT Policing operates within the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Framework.

Construction Grants and Social Procurement

ACT Policing did not issue any construction grants or engage in any social procurement activities during the 2022-23 reporting period.

9 Appendices

Appendix 1: Financial Statements

Independent Auditor’s Report

Appendix 2: Statement of Performance

Appendix 3: Number of Offences Reported or Becoming Known in Australian Capital Territory 2018-19 to 2022-23

Appendix 4: Offences Cleared by ACT Policing in the Australian Capital Territory 2018-19 to 2022-23

Appendix 5: Percentage of Offences Cleared by ACT Policing 2017-18 to 2022-23

Offences cleared relates to offences where there is an outcome. These outcomes include the identification of an offender (through an arrest or some other form of proceeding such as a summons or a caution), withdrawal of the complaint or the determination that the offence was unsubstantiated. It is important to note the clearance of the offence may not necessarily occur in the same period in which it was reported.

Appendix 6: Proceedings Against Offenders by ACT Policing (Charges) 2018-19 to 2022-23

Appendix 7: Abbreviations