Telephone: (02) 6264 9460
Facsimile: (02) 6264 9466
Email: act-police-marketing@afp.gov.au
Written requests for information can be sent to:
Coordinator – Media and Public Engagement
ACT Policing
GPO Box 401
Canberra City ACT 2601
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© Commonwealth of Australia 2014
ISSN 1838-2662
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ACT Policing.
Chief Police Officer for the ACT
Rudi Lammers APM
GPO Box 401Canberra City ACT 2601
Telephone +61 2 6264 9610 Facsimile +61 2 6264 9510
www.afp.gov.au
ABN 17 864 931 143
18 September 2014
Mr Simon Corbell MLA
Minister for Police and Emergency Services
ACT Legislative Assembly
London Circuit
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Dear Mr Corbell
I am pleased to submit ACT Policing’s annual report for the financial year 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Policing Arrangement between the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government for the delivery of policing services to the ACT.
The report has been prepared in accordance with the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.
I certify that the attached annual report is an honest and accurate account and that all material information on the operations of ACT Policing during the period of 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 has been included in
the report.
Fraud prevention has been managed in accordance with Public Sector Management Standard 2, Part 2.4 along with guidelines 1.9 and 2.8 of the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines.
In line with section 13 of the Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act 2004, I understand that the report is to be presented to the Legislative Assembly within three months of the end of the financial year.
Yours sincerely
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Rudi Lammers
It has been an engaging and productive financial year for ACT Policing, and for my first 12 months as Chief Police Officer for the ACT.
ACT Policing achieved or exceeded 28 of its 33 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) during this reporting period, achieving some notable accomplishments, including recording the lowest rate of property offences in more than 10 years.
In August 2013, we celebrated Eid al-Fitr with the Canberra Muslim community, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. I attended the festival at Exhibition Park in Canberra. We have a very diverse community in the ACT, supported by many foreign embassies and high commissions. The Eid al-Fitr festival was a wonderful opportunity to experience different cultures, music, performances, foods and handicrafts.
In September 2013, we launched our three-month campaign targeting the manufacturing and distribution of illicit and synthetic drugs in the ACT.
In October 2013, we launched the Intelligence and Crime Reduction Portfolio, strengthening linkages between Intelligence, frontline police and crime reduction outcomes. These changes ensure the team is more accessible to police stations and that we foster greater collaboration across ACT Policing. The new Intelligence and Crime Reduction service delivery model is designed to shift the portfolio’s focus to reducing crime through looking at key people, places and problems.
In November 2013, we raised more than $30 000 towards stopping violence against women as part of White Ribbon Day. ACT Policing is a key stakeholder in preventing domestic and family violence in the ACT community and is a strong supporter of White Ribbon Australia. I am a White Ribbon Ambassador and have been actively involved in promoting the White Ribbon campaign.
At the end of 2013 and into the first two weeks of 2014, ACT Policing’s Criminal Investigations was faced with the challenging task of managing three suspicious deaths that occurred almost concurrently. This brought with it the challenges of refocusing investigative teams and associated resources to these priority investigations along with managing separate crime scenes. Despite the challenges, solid work by our detectives paid off and offenders have been charged in two cases. The third death was considered non-suspicious.
Early in the new year we expanded our social media presence through the launch of ACT Policing’s Facebook page, together with Project Eyewatch Gungahlin, to raise community awareness and increase community engagement. The Facebook page had barely been activated when a significant operational issue emerged: the theft of a vehicle which had a seven-month-old baby inside.
A description of the offender was posted on our Facebook and Twitter sites. This enormous public reach broadened the spread of the messaging. A social media follower arrived home to find the missing baby abandoned but in good health and the stolen car parked in the driveway.
In addition to our core policing function, our officers securely escorted high-profile dignitaries, including Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, and their son, Prince George.
In April 2014, the funding boost delivered in the 2013–14 ACT Budget for the Road Safety Operations Team (RSOT) was officially launched, providing extra staff, increased Recognition and Analysis of Plates Identified (RAPID) capabilities, and a custom-built vehicle designed for random roadside drug and alcohol screening. The extra resources provide an even stronger visible police presence on ACT roads as well as increased drug testing and RAPID capacities to support road safety strategies.
The immediate impact of the extra resources and equipment was demonstrated throughout May 2014 with the RSOT detecting and prosecuting 85 drug- or alcohol-impaired drivers.
During this reporting period, ACT Policing Traffic Operations focused on protecting our young and vulnerable road users by visiting every school zone throughout the ACT during each school term. The operation aimed to improve the behaviour and attitudes of road users in and around school zones. This initiative received positive feedback from schools and parenting communities.
ACT Policing Annual Report 2013–14 describes the many ways that we have engaged with the ACT community during this reporting period.
We look forward to serving the people of Canberra in the year ahead and will continue to engage with the community to make the ACT a safer and more secure place to live.
ACT Policing is the community policing arm of the Australian Federal Police (AFP). We are responsible for providing quality and effective policing services to the people of the ACT. We do this in partnership with the community.
Our mission is to keep the peace and preserve public safety within the ACT. We strive to deliver a professional, innovative and effective policing service in an ever-changing environment for all the people of the ACT.
We pride ourselves on being a values-driven organisation. Our core values of integrity, commitment, excellence, accountability, fairness and trust represent our principles and standards — the values we uphold as part of our personal and professional duties.
As Chief Police Officer for the ACT, I am supported by three functional streams: Crime, Response, and Corporate Services. These streams are led by Commander David Pryce (Deputy Chief Police Officer – Crime), Commander Charmaine Quade (Deputy Chief Police Officer – Response) and Mr Chris Hayward (Director Corporate Services). See Figure B.1.1 for ACT Policing’s organisational structure.
There were several changes to our structure this reporting period. These are discussed below under structural changes.
For further information about our senior executives and their responsibilities refer to C.1: Internal Accountability.
We are proud that the more than 900 staff who form ACT Policing are committed to ensuring the delivery of policing services to the ACT, often going above and beyond core duties to ensure the safety of our community.
More information about our people can be found at Section E.5: Staffing Profile.
Figure B.1.1: ACT Policing organisational structure as at 1 July 2014
Our approach is to continue to create a safer and more secure ACT through:
Under the Policing Arrangement, funds to deliver community policing services to the ACT are provided by the ACT Government to the AFP. Funds provided for 2013–14 were $150 366 000.
More information on our budget and expenditure can be found at Section F: Financial Management Reporting.
Our role is to deliver quality policing services to the ACT. Community policing in the ACT is delivered by the AFP in accordance with the three principal direction-setting mechanisms that drive our planning frameworks:
The five-year Policing Arrangement is a contractual arrangement between the Commonwealth and the ACT Government (see Appendix 1), and sets the enabling framework by which the AFP (ACT Policing) provides policing services to the ACT.
The Policing Arrangement defines the overarching
powers and relationships between all parties involved.
The objectives are:
The Policing Arrangement was re-signed for a further five years on 24 June 2011 by Minister for Home Affairs and Justice The Honourable Brendan O’Connor, Minister for Police and Emergency Services Simon Corbell and AFP Commissioner Tony Negus APM.
The Policing Arrangement is supported by an annually negotiated Purchase Agreement between the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, the Commissioner of
the AFP, and the Chief Police Officer for the ACT (see Appendix 2).
The Purchase Agreement specifies the type and level of services the ACT Government requires from ACT Policing on an annual basis, and the agreed price of those services. It details the policing outcomes, outputs, performance measures, targets and facilities to be provided and the powers and obligations of the Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Chief Police Officer for the ACT, and associated administrative arrangements.
The four main outputs against which ACT Policing’s performance is measured are:
We are directly accountable to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services for the achievement and delivery of the outcomes defined in the Purchase Agreement. The Chief Police Officer for the ACT is required to report on performance outcomes to the Minister within one calendar month at the end of each quarter, unless otherwise agreed by the parties.
The Purchase Agreement is the key mechanism by which we plan our activities, and in articulates the KPIs by which we were measured.
We align our workforce and strategic priorities in line with the requirements stipulated in the Purchase Agreement by allocating resources and specialist capabilities to service each output.
The 2013–14 Purchase Agreement was signed by the Minister for Police and Emergency Services Simon Corbell MLA, AFP Commissioner Tony Negus and Acting Chief Police Officer for the ACT David Pryce at a ceremony at the ACT Legislative Assembly, Canberra, on 25 June 2013.
Clause 6 of 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 is updated annually, in line with the Purchase Agreement, and 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.
The 2013–14 Ministerial Direction (see Appendix 3) identified the following areas of special focus:
The Ministerial Direction is renegotiated annually prior to the start of each financial year. The 2013–14 Ministerial Direction was signed by the Minister for Police and Emergency Services Simon Corbell MLA on 25 June 2013.
Our strategic plan, the AFP Strategic Plan 2012–15, defines our objectives and how they will be achieved over the four years of the plan. This plan forms the basis for the development of our future strategies.
While the AFP Strategic Plan 2012–15 and the above strategies provide an overarching direction, they are complemented by portfolio business plans and further functional action plans.
Operational plans (also referred to as tactical plans) are developed for specific policing operations, intelligence purposes and targeted exercises such as Operation Unite to target alcohol-related violence. They are developed on an
as-needs basis, as identified through our quarterly performance and policing intelligence.
We have a strategic workforce plan, which is approved by the Executive Committee, to ensure that sufficiently skilled staff are appropriately distributed across ACT Policing in accordance with key priorities.
The ACT Policing governance structure has four principal committees, whose focus is the management of ACT Policing business and strategic priorities. These are the:
For more information on these committees see Section C.1: Internal Accountability.
The ACT represents the smallest policing jurisdiction in Australia, with a lower ratio of police per capita than most other jurisdictions. This is sustainable due to several unique features such as Canberra’s population being densely concentrated and mainly located in low to medium density suburbs, interspersed with large open spaces (some of which are subject to in-filling developments for new suburbs), and well-distributed road infrastructure. Canberra is also surrounded by significant bands of bushland and grazing properties.
ACT Policing is the community policing arm of the AFP. Unlike other Australian jurisdictions, ACT Policing operates under an agreement between the Commonwealth and the ACT Government which is more like a contractual relationship as opposed to the traditional notions of a police agency established under a state or territory government. While this arrangement brings with it unique obligations, such as our formalised KPIs, our operating domain is essentially no different from any concentration of population in other developed capital cities or large towns in Australia or anywhere in the world.
Our role in this operating domain is to ensure the rule of law and the security and safety of ACT residents. However, ensuring the rule of law is a complex and challenging responsibility that is becoming more difficult through factors such as the accelerated evolution of technological change and the ability of people and crime to cross borders with greater ease. These progressive developments compound traditional problems such as volume crime, road trauma, crimes of violence and antisocial behaviour.
Our footprint in terms of our interface with the public and our policing presence will be required to change and adapt as Canberra continues to grow and develop.
Emerging suburbs such as Lawson, Wright and Coombs, and the developing suburbs of Crace, Casey, Bonner, Jacka and Beard, place an extra demand on our services.
The growth of road networks makes it increasingly challenging for ACT Policing Traffic Operations to patrol and provide a policing presence on all roadways.
The expanding geographical area has led to increased road usage on arterial roads and congestion-related motor vehicle accidents. The challenges of reducing road congestion will take a whole-of-government approach including ongoing road design improvements and public transport options
for commuters.
As the seat of the Australian Government, policing in the ACT has its own challenges. The ACT features a high number of Commonwealth assets and interests, including national icons that require unique policing solutions, and a high number of visiting dignitaries for whom we are responsible for managing and escorting securely.
Similarly, Canberra hosts a significant number of foreign embassies and delegations. Those premises, their occupants and visitors, are entitled to special levels of protection and immunity under international conventions. During this reporting period, Canberra hosted a number of visiting dignitaries, including Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, and their son, Prince George.
The Territory is located entirely as an enclave within New South Wales and this geographic characteristic means that there are significant cross-border impacts affecting the services that we provide. These impacts include cross-border organised and volume crime and road safety issues, including pursuits and road trauma.
As a key agency within the Territory’s criminal justice system, ACT Policing works closely with a wide range of other ACT agencies to protect the community. These agencies include the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JaCS), the courts, ACT Corrective Services and the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions.
ACT Policing collaborates with JaCS on matters applying to legislative reform and on matters of common interest such as police powers, traffic law enforcement, victim liaison and emergency management (including critical infrastructure protection). We also work with:
ACT Policing is engaged in a range of committees and boards within our jurisdictions. These include:
We draw on information and expertise from the wider AFP in the areas of forensics, information technology, technical operations, professional standards, commercial support, policy, and learning and development. The ACT is fortunate to be able to purchase world-class services in all of these disciplines at an economical price from the AFP, and further rely on a cost-free surge capacity of sworn and unsworn staff from AFP National operations in times of emergency or need.
As part of the wider AFP, we also provide opportunities for our members and support our colleagues through offshore deployments.
ACT Policing engages with other police jurisdictions and Australian Government agencies and is represented on national and international law enforcement forums.
A number of structural changes took place during the reporting period to increase operational capacity.
In January 2013, ACT Policing engaged an external consultancy group to review the Crime Prevention and Intelligence portfolios. The review has developed a service delivery model focused on the coordination and sharing
of information between the Crime Prevention and Intelligence teams.
In October 2013, the recommendations made in the final report were implemented and the crime prevention function was renamed Crime Reduction, which is a more accurate descriptor of the service delivery focus. We shifted activities to target the causes of crime and a focus on the people or places where crime is occurring. We recognise that even though it is impossible to prevent all crime, it is possible to reduce crime, reduce the harm that criminal activities cause and reduce the fear of crime across the community.
The new service model recommended the expansion of the Crime Reduction teams to North and South districts to enhance working relationships with ACT Policing members, while remaining focused on some of the most vulnerable groups of the community, including the youth sector, seniors, culturally and linguistic diverse sectors, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and the business sector. The decentralisation of the teams has proved to be successful, with targeted attention of identified areas of criminal activity.
The newly formed Crime Reduction Education and Diversion (CRED) Team provides support to operational members regarding diversion options for eligible offenders. The team coordinates information and education to schools and the community.
In October 2013, a structural reporting change was implemented by moving the Specialist Response Group (SRG) liaison role from the Crime Portfolio to Emergency Management and Planning within the Response portfolio. The change resulted in a more efficient functioning model when deploying SRG resources to planned and response events.
In December 2013, following a review of the functional alignments of the Response portfolio, the portfolio was restructured as follows:
In March 2014, responsibility of the Exhibit Management Centre was transferred to the Crime portfolio. This change was made to better align and balance business process in support of the Judicial Operations area.
In addition, during this reporting period the Professional Standards Implementation Officer role and the ACT Policing Complaints Management Team Secretariat were realigned from ACT Policing Operations into the Ministerial and Operational Support portfolio. This movement more logically aligns the team within ACT Policing, providing support and advice, and reporting to the Executive on customer service and other lower level complaints.
These adjustments to our structure address the developing operational needs of community policing.
Connecting with the community at the ActewAGL Royal Canberra Show
This year showgoers again flocked to ACT Policing’s display, with the stall winning the title of Indoor Grand Champion for the third year running.
ACT Policing, the broader AFP, volunteers and recruits unite each year at the ActewAGL Royal Canberra Show to strengthen communities and increase confidence in community policing through positive engagement.
An interactive ‘Think first then dial!’ challenge was hosted in the stall, aimed at creating public awareness of police and emergency numbers. Three mock phone calls were played with each scenario prompting participants to choose Triple Zero (000), the Police Assistance Line (131 444) or Crime Stoppers (1800 333 000) hotline. On answering information correctly in a quiz, members of the community received free tea towels containing appropriate telephone numbers to call as a prize.
The display included a social media hub promoting ACT Policing’s social media channels. Showgoers were able to see how they looked in a police uniform, with life-sized cardboard cut-outs, and upload their photos to social media with the hashtag #CBRShowCops.
Many parents and children attended Constable Kenny’s kids’ corner, where children were taught important safety messages by the crime-fighting koala himself.
At the demonstration stage, members of the National Canine Team, Traffic Operations and Constable Kenny performed daily, showcasing their capabilities and providing key messages to the crowds in a fun and interactive way.
Our primary client is the community that we serve and protect. We work in close partnership with the community to ensure the delivery of quality policing services to the ACT.
Our primary stakeholder is the ACT Government. In line with the Policing Arrangement and annual Purchase Agreement, we are responsible for reporting quarterly and annually on our outputs and KPIs to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services.
Building partnerships with the community lies at the core of effective community policing. Working with community stakeholders is an essential part of our role in facilitating access and interaction with the community. We strive to maintain these relationships for our benefit and that of the community.
To fulfil our role to the best of our ability we work with a number of government and non-government agencies and not-for-profit organisations.
Our stakeholders and partners include:
The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 provides that the ACT Policing Executive has the responsibility of governing the ACT with respect to matters of law and order. However, the ACT Legislative Assembly has no power to make laws with respect to the provision by the AFP of police services in the ACT. As such there is no Police Act or similar legislation in the ACT. The AFP provides policing services to the ACT under section 8 of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (the AFP Act).
Under section 8(1)(a) of the AFP Act, the Minister for Home Affairs and Justice, and the ACT, have agreed to enter into arrangements for the provision of police services in relation to the ACT. These arrangements are in relation to ACT functions as defined by section 3 of the Australian Capital Territory
Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988.
The AFP Act provides that, in addition to any other powers and duties, a member of the AFP has, when performing functions in the ACT, the powers and duties conferred or imposed on a constable or on an officer of police by or under any law (including the common law) of the ACT.
Police powers and duties are outlined in section 9 of the AFP Act, and include the prevention of crime; protection of persons from injury or death and protection of property from damage, whether arising from criminal acts or otherwise; and the preservation of peace and good order.
Our performance is measured by one main outcome supported by a series of outputs and performance measures as detailed in the Purchase Agreement (see Appendix 2), set out as part of the contractual arrangement between the ACT Government and the AFP. Our performance is measured against the four key outputs:
These specific areas of focus are broken down into 33 KPIs. The KPIs are further described in Section B.2: Performance Analysis.
ACT Policing achieved or exceeded 28 of our 33 KPIs during this reporting period. We again exceeded our police responsiveness targets for Priority One, Two and Three incidents, as well as emergency Triple Zero (000) calls, recording more than 90 per cent on all but one measure.
There are some measures, specifically relating to self-reporting and perceptions of crime, against which we did not meet the performance targets. While some of these performance targets are outside of our direct control, the results assist to ensure our policing efforts are directed in the right areas.
We met all four measures relating to levels of crime, including both measures relating to the number of offences against the person and the number of offences against property.
The number of offences against the person decreased by 10.9 per cent when compared to the same reporting period in 2012–13 (2459 offences in 2013–14 reporting period compared to 2759 offences in 2012–13). Offence types that recorded lower figures were sexual offences (down 15.3 per cent) and assault, both in the home and public places (down 2.8 per cent and 16.5 per cent respectively).
Offences against property were down by 14.1 per cent (or a decrease of 2779 offences) compared to the previous reporting period. This represents the lowest rate of property offences recorded in more than 10 years.
All offence types under the offences against property category decreased considerably when compared to the previous reporting period with the exception of other offences against property. (Other offences against property include robbery, blackmail and extortion, fraud and misappropriation, and handling of stolen goods offences.)
We exceeded our clear-up rate targets for offences against the person by 2.5 per cent and for offences against property by 0.9 per cent.
We achieved against the majority of measures aimed at determining the public’s perception of crime. All of these KPIs use data from the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP), which is conducted by an independent research company commissioned by ANZPAA.
The ACT community is less concerned about becoming a victim of physical or sexual assault and motor vehicle theft compared with the national average; however, it is more concerned about becoming a victim of housebreaking.
The ACT also recorded above the national average of people who feel safe at home alone and walking in their neighbourhood, which is a promising finding.
We again exceeded all our police responsiveness targets, with police attendance to Priority One (critical incidents) 75.1 per cent within eight minutes and 94 per cent within 12 minutes.
Response times were reassessed during this reporting period with targets set for ACT Policing increased to build on this strong performance.
Response times for lower level incidents (Priority Two) far exceeded targets of 70 per cent within 20 minutes and 95 per cent within 30 minutes, with ACT Policing recording 90.8 per cent and 96.9 per cent respectively. In relation to Priority Three incidents, where police attendance or response is required no later than 48 hours 90 per cent of the time, we achieved a high 99.6 per cent.
In addition, 95.9 per cent of Triple Zero (000) calls were answered on first presentation and 99.8 per cent on second presentation, against targets of 92 per cent and 98 per cent respectively.
We exceeded all three measures relating to public confidence in police. When compared nationally (as measured through the NSCSP), the ACT recorded the highest proportion of persons who agree that police perform their job professionally.
During the reporting period we continued to enforce traffic laws and promote safer behaviour on ACT roads to reduce the number of crash fatalities and injuries to members of the community. ACT Policing successfully met three of the six road safety measures, including measures for the number of road crashes resulting in death and resulting in injury per 100 000.
During this reporting period we achieved measure 21: self-reporting to driving while not wearing a seatbelt. Drivers in the ACT self-reported higher than the national average to speeding, driving 10 kilometres per hour or more over the speed limit, being over the prescribed alcohol limit, and driving when using a mobile phone.
We achieved against all targets in supporting the judicial process, in particular, recording 88 per cent of briefs delivered to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) within the given timeframe (target of 75 per cent). This is again an improvement on previous reporting periods and a significant improvement on the 2012–13 reporting period (76.1 per cent). This achievement is a result of new internal practices and procedures, coupled with strong external partnerships with the DPP and the ACT Courts.
Also, 86.5 per cent of cases finalised by offence were proven in court, with only 12.1 per cent of cases finalised
by a not-guilty verdict.
ACT Policing achieved nine of its 10 KPIs relating to crime prevention, including specific quality of life issues such as louts and gangs, and drunken/disorderly behaviour.
We exceeded our measure in referring juveniles to diversionary programs, with our target of 110 and our members referring 111 young people to restorative justice. Similarly, 155 people were diverted into our Early Intervention and Drug Diversion program, far exceeding the target (80 or more) by 93.8 per cent.
Almost 6000 people were referred to SupportLink during this reporting period, with 81.7 per cent of victims contacted by our Victim Liaison Officers.
Canberrans were concerned about speeding cars and dangerous driving.
For more information about our performance see Section B.2: Performance Analysis.
Alcohol-related crime is an ongoing priority for ACT Policing, as it continues to place unnecessary financial, social and health burdens on the community. Summer in the ACT means an increase in traffic, parties and nightlife, as people celebrate events such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve. This inevitably leads to an increase in alcohol-related incidents and arrests.
The Safe Summer campaign aimed to promote safe attitudes and behaviours, particularly in relation to alcohol and party activities, road use and personal safety, during the summer period in the ACT. To ensure partygoers were aware of a zero tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour, ACT Policing combined high-visibility patrols with a high-profile communications campaign that included various public engagement events and collateral. Increased police presence in the city by the Regional Targeting Team (RTT) and collaboration with pubs, clubs and liquor licence regulators played a key role in the success of the campaign.
During the summer period, the campaign helped operational efforts to achieve a 22 per cent decrease in fines for antisocial behaviour compared to summer in 2012–13, as well as a 39 per cent decrease in alcohol-related violence compared to summer in 2012–13.
During this reporting period we implemented the RTT, combining the City Beats Team with the Alcohol Crime Targeting Team. The RTT provides intelligence-led, high-visibility policing to all entertainment precincts especially during peak hours, using multiple teams to ensure availability of immediate support to members on duty. With the formation of the RTT, there was a significant increase in the number of inspections compared to the previous reporting period.
ACT Policing has developed a number of strategic relationships, including with the Sobering Up Shelter, which help the timely response to alcohol-related incidents. ACT Policing remains actively involved with Menslink and the Men’s Health and Suicide Prevention Working Group, providing advice on operational challenges and working to reduce the negative impacts of alcohol use.
During 2013, the ACT recorded its second lowest yearly road toll (seven) since 1959. This was a significant decrease from the road toll in 2012 (12) and well below benchmarks set within the ACT Policing Purchase Agreement 2013–14. While an improvement, any road fatality is one too many.
Throughout the 2013–14 reporting period, ACT Policing Traffic Operations and Planning continued to focus on educating the community on road safety issues. Prior to the Christmas holiday period, the Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team presented to more than 100 cadets at the Australian Defence Force Academy. This presentation included a display of a crashed vehicle and information on the effects of impaired driving.
Traffic Operations and Planning focus on collaboration with partner agencies, ACT Government Directorates and other jurisdictions to promote a collaborative approach towards safer roads for the community. These activities include contributing to the ANZPAA Road Policing Forum, Road Safety Executive Group, Road Safety Working Committee, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Group and combined taskforces on road safety with NSW Police and community groups.
Together with JaCS, we have implemented the Road Safety Calendar outlining our awareness programs throughout the year addressing speeding, impaired driving, distraction, seatbelt use and fatigue. In spreading these road safety messages, we use a number of channels including TV, radio, variable message boards, web and social media.
From 4–11 May 2014, ACT Policing took part in National Road Safety Week (NRSW) in partnership with JaCS and our Emergency Services partners. NRSW aims to highlight the devastation of road death and injury, and encourage people to take action to prevent unnecessary loss on our roads. The week provides an opportunity to raise awareness of road safety issues, promote responsible road use, and prevent suffering caused by crashes and casualties. This is the first year ACT Policing and the broader ACT Government were involved in NRSW.
The ACT Property Crime Reduction Strategy 2012–15 is a whole-of-government response aimed at producing a sustainable reduction in the rate of reported burglary and motor vehicle theft.
As part of our obligations under the strategy, ACT Policing Crime Reduction Units (CRUs) and CRED teams engage with partner agencies and organisations to deliver against these objectives. We have a strong partnership with Canberra Police Community Youth Club, which delivers a range of programs specifically for children and young people needing support and guidance beyond that provided through the mainstream education system.
Through a recently re-signed agreement with ACT Health, ACT Policing will continue to divert children and young people to suitable diversion assessment and information programs through the Alcohol and Other Drugs Diversion program. Early intervention offers the opportunity to divert children and young people from behaviours that, if continued, could result in involvement with the judicial system.
We are a strategic partner of ACT Crime Stoppers and are represented on the board by the Deputy Chief Police Officer – Crime. The interaction between Crime Stoppers ACT and ACT Policing is governed by a memorandum of understanding. Crime Stoppers meets monthly with Intelligence and Media and Public Engagement members to discuss ongoing operational and communication activities. Crime Stoppers in the ACT region is a vital link in our intelligence-led policing approach, providing police with invaluable information not otherwise available.
In January 2014, there was almost double the usual number of calls to Crime Stoppers, received by ACT Policing, which demonstrates the importance of the ACT Policing and Crime Stoppers partnership and the value of the service to the community. The service is widely promoted, locally and nationally, through media and social media activity.
ACT Policing partnered with Bunnings Tuggeranong in October 2013 to launch a home security weekend. ACT Policing members engaged with the community answering questions about home security and handed out 2000 home security packs to prevent burglary and theft.
Other initiatives to reduce property crime included Project Safe Plate and the Lock It or Lose It campaign to reduce bike theft. For more information on these initiatives see Section B.3: Community Engagement and Support.
The 2010–13 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Agreement ceased in June 2013 and negotiations are being finalised for the new agreement. ACT Policing’s obligations under the previous agreement comprised:
Three of these actions are included as KPIs for ACT Policing, and therefore form part of the business delivery model for the CRU, CRED and general duties members. ACT Policing has met all of the KPI targets that relate to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Since the deployment of the CRUs to North and South district locations, engagement with members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community is now managed by all team members, rather than by a small dedicated team. This will enable more ACT Policing members get exposure to working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. It may take some time for members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community, and agencies that provide support services, to become accustomed to a change to the engagement process.
Programs and events that the CRUs are involved with include:
Capital Careers, Northside Community Services and the Aboriginal Justice Centre (AJC) deliver the CHANCES program. The program helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are assessed as at risk of homelessness, reoffending or facing long-term unemployment. Participants might already have had some involvement with the criminal justice system, while others might be under the care of the Office for Children, Youth and Family Support. A component of the program provides support for participants’ immediate families through a homework club and child care service at the training facility.
Members of CRU attended five sessions during the reporting period and two meetings. In November 2013, the Deputy Chief Police Officer – Crime was guest speaker at an event.
The program in its current format has concluded. However, a program with a similar focus will be delivered in late 2014. ACT Policing will continue to support the program.
The Front Up program was developed by ACT Policing and the AJC. It provides a mechanism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to voluntarily surrender themselves to the courts, without having to attend the ACT Watch House. The CRUs regularly provide a list of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are in breach of their bail conditions or who have outstanding warrants. The AJC makes contact with the offenders and encourages them to voluntarily surrender and have the matters dealt with in court. This has reduced significantly the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being placed in custody in the ACT Watch House.
Since it started in 2009, the program has continued to be successful and it is considered to be a major factor in maintaining positive relationships between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, ACT Policing and the AJC. A challenge for the next reporting period will be to maintain the efficacy of the program.
The ongoing strong commitment by ACT Policing and the AJC to the program should ensure its future success.
The services offered by Legal Aid to their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients is not widely known. Representatives from Legal Aid met with Crime Reduction and Judicial Operations members to address this issue.
Following a presentation of the services provided to their clients — in legal, cultural and conflict issues — it was agreed that increased circulation of informative posters and contact details throughout police stations in the ACT would improve that knowledge gap. The range of services available and the referral process has been briefed to patrols.
The fundamental principles of the Blueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT 2012–22 include community safety, early intervention and prevention and considering the rights, needs and best interests of young people in the community. During the reporting period, ACT Policing has continued to support and enact the vision of the Blueprint.
ACT Policing acknowledges the importance of diversion to prevent young people from entering into, or continuing, their involvement in the formal justice system.
We have specific obligations in relation to two of the strategies outlined in the Blueprint, which are to:
These obligations have been consistently met throughout the reporting period, particularly with regard to referrals to the diversionary programs. The ongoing success of the programs is due to the regular interaction between the CRU and CRED teams with their counterparts in other agencies.
ACT Policing is represented on the Youth Justice Blueprint Implementation Group by Superintendent Intelligence and Crime Reduction and two senior ACT Policing sergeants. The Implementation Group provides long-term strategic direction on actions to improve services and support for children and young people, and monitor the implementation of those actions.
There were a number of highlights for ACT Policing in this reporting period. Some of these are outlined below.
ACT Policing’s social media presence has significantly increased since the introduction of the @ACTPol_Traffic Twitter account that communicated road closures and ACT Policing’s YouTube channel in 2010. The corporate @ACTPolicing Twitter account was launched in 2013, closely followed by an ACT Policing and a Gungahlin Eyewatch Facebook in early 2014.
The extensive internet penetration through the expansion of the broadband network in Australia and popularity of smartphones has increased the audience for internet and social media use and made it more mainstream.
These developments have changed the ways in which ACT Policing is able to interact with the community.
These two-way, mutual information exchanges are enabling the democratisation of information sharing about crime in the ACT.
In February 2014, Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers launched the ACT Policing Facebook page. Since the launch, the page views have increased at a steady rate, and received more than 15 000 likes by the end of the 2013–14 reporting period. The Facebook page has become an important cost-effective engagement and crisis/incident management tool for ACT Policing. Over time, ACT Policing will be introducing more operationally focused posts such as CCTV footage from petrol drive-offs and shoplifting offences. The page is also being used to host community forums.
In May 2014, ACT Policing held traffic forums over Facebook and Twitter as part of the Yellow Ribbon National Road Safety Week Campaign. Experienced members from Traffic Operations were on hand to answer questions from the community. This proved very popular and is something ACT Policing will host more of in the future. The ACT community has embraced our social media and there is a positive response when information provided by the public assists in solving a crime.
Following are some success stories that can be attributed to the ACT Policing Facebook page:
ACT Policing’s Project Eyewatch began in February 2014 with the trial program launched in Gungahlin by the Chief Police Officer and the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Through Project Eyewatch, ACT Policing will continue to develop positive collaboration with its stakeholders and the community to identify crime and social disorder issues while working together to develop sustainable solutions.
The Officer-in-Charge of Gungahlin Station, Sergeant Donna Hofmeier, has been an active user on the page and the community has embraced this accessibility to a senior local police officer. Sergeant Hofmeier has hosted several open forums on the page which have been successful in delivering positive community engagement.
As at 30 June 2014, ACT Policing had a combined total of more than 20 000 people following all its Twitter accounts. The feedback that ACT Policing has received from the community is that this is an excellent and valuable community engagement initiative. ACT Policing Twitter profiles (@ACTPolicing, @ACTPol_Traffic, @CPOACT and @ConstableKenny) are a strong and established part of
ACT Policing’s social media community engagement strategy. In the reporting period, ACT Policing hosted two Twitter forums with the ACT Policing Executive as the hosts. This has proven extremely successful and will continue in the future.
ACT Policing has received feedback that the community values the opportunity to pose their questions and issues directly to the Chief Police Officer and the two Deputy Chief Police Officers, and enjoys receiving information from the top decision-makers within ACT Policing.
For more information about ACT Policing’s social media presence see: The power of ‘social’ in new world policing.
The theft of number plates in the ACT is of concern to police as they are usually used to commit further offences, including petrol drive-offs, burglaries and traffic offences. The replacement of stolen vehicle number plates costs the ACT Government about $40 000 per year. Project Safe Plate has been operating in the ACT since 2007. In 2013, a strategy was developed to implement the initiative across all police zones – Gungahlin, Belconnen, City, Woden and Tuggeranong.
Project Safe Plate is a preventative and proactive measure to reduce the theft of number plates and follow-up offences by replacing the number plate screws with tamper-proof screws. The project deters potential offenders and puts in place preventative measures to help in decreasing number plate thefts and follow-up offences. It provides a positive message to the community through the commitment to this initiative by ACT Policing.
In the reporting period, about 1835 vehicles had tamper-proof screws fitted to their vehicles.
For more information on Project Safe Plate see Section B.3: Community Engagement and Support.
ACT Policing and JaCS collaborated on the Lock It or Lose It campaign to prevent bike theft in the ACT. The campaign focused on informing cyclists on how to lock their bikes correctly, as well as the importance of recording a description of their bike, including serial numbers, and reporting any thefts to police immediately.
The campaign launch was arranged to coincide with ACT University Orientation (O) week on 12 February 2014 and wrapped up at Amy’s Big Canberra Bike Ride event on 2 March 2014.
The campaign attracted extensive media coverage from local outlets. The bike theft campaign website landing page received 708 visits during the period. Some 83 per cent (589 hits) of those were direct traffic, that is, people typing in the direct URL. The bike locking YouTube demonstration video was watched more than 200 times during the campaign. It was also embedded directly into other websites, so it is likely that it was watched more widely.
The intent of the campaign is to reduce the number of bikes stolen and see an increase in bike theft reporting. This reporting will assist operational members achieve a clearer picture of the problem, return property to its rightful owners, and relieve the Exhibit Management Centre of much of its recovered bike load.
For more information on our bike theft campaign see Section B.3: Community Engagement and Support.
In October 2013, ACT Policing with the support of the ACT Government and ACT Crime Stoppers launched the Illicit Firearms Rewards campaign, offering increased public reward payments of up to $5000 for information leading to the seizure of illicit firearms or a successful prosecution for firearm-related crime.
During the campaign, which ran until 30 April 2014, ACT Policing executed 25 search warrants, resulting in the seizure of 25 operational firearms, 11 replica firearms and about 3500 rounds of assorted ammunition. It led to the seizure of several prohibited weapons including an electrical incapacitant, knuckle dusters, nunchucks, and a three-bladed throwing knife. Other seizures included cannabis, methylamphetamine, steroids, laptops, a stolen motor vehicle and stolen tools.
Restorative justice — giving victims of crime a voice
In the case of a 17-year-old teen who damaged property at a local primary school, restorative justice was an opportunity to make amends for behaviour he described as a ‘random act of stupidity’. Through a face-to-face conference with the school’s principal he was able to apologise and make an agreement to spend a day cleaning the school’s windows.
Since the initiative began in 2005, restorative justice has been changing lives, rehabilitating offenders and providing the opportunity for harm to be repaired.
The ACT Restorative Justice Unit (RJU) celebrated a significant milestone by reaching its 1000th conference on 30 January 2014. During the past nine years there have been 1459 referrals consisting of 3408 offences, 2531 victims and 1872 young offenders.
ACT Policing is a significant contributor to the restorative justice referral process as part of its commitment to diverting offenders from the criminal justice system wherever possible.
Restorative justice is an exchange of information between the people most affected by an offence — the victim and young offender. Information can be exchanged directly through a face-to-face meeting or indirectly through a series of letters or messages.
The role that this exchange plays for the victim is invaluable. By making referrals, ACT Policing has the opportunity to help victims of crime recover more quickly, overcome the harm suffered and gain greater confidence in the justice process.
Restorative justice was a key priority for ACT Policing during the 2013–14 reporting period. We achieved the target of 110 referrals outlined in the Purchase Agreement.
On 13 September 2013, the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mr Simon Corbell, Deputy Chief Police Officer David Pryce and ACT Crime Stoppers Chairman Mr Bryan Roach launched a three-month campaign targeting the manufacturing, sale and distribution of illicit and synthetic drugs.
The campaign aimed to show ACT residents some of the telltale signs of drug production or dealing, and encourage them to report suspicious activity to police. It used tactics including advertising, print, social media and online channels.
At the launch, members from Crime Reduction were available to educate members of the community about the physical appearance of certain drugs and their effects.
For the second phase of the campaign, Emergency Medicine Consultant at Calvary Hospital Dr David Caldicott joined
ACT Policing to promote the devastating health effects of illicit drugs and their impact on people’s lives. During the final phase, ACT Policing partnered with Australian Customs and Border Protection Service to remind business owners that it is an offence to sell or import synthetic drugs.
The successful campaign resulted in a 150 per cent increase in the number of manufacturing or cultivation reports received, compared with the same period last year.
This led to 558 seizures of amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, heroin and other substances over the three-month period. About 51 kilograms of suspected illicit drugs with a potential estimated street value of $2.9 million have been removed from the streets of Canberra and surrounding areas.
In May 2014, police investigations led to a major drug syndicate being dismantled. Members from ACT Policing’s Drug and Organised Crime Team executed 10 search warrants at various locations across the ACT. During the operation, police seized in excess of 1.1 kilograms of cocaine, various other illicit substances and more than $200 000 in cash. The street value of the seized cocaine is about $250 000. The drug harm index costing for the seized cocaine is about $460 000.
The CRED Team is a feature of our new Intelligence and Crime Reduction portfolio. The CRED Team responds to phone and email requests from individual community members, businesses, education facilities, government and non-government agencies for crime reduction information, presentations and referrals.
The CRED Team has developed and presented information to schools on a range of crime reduction topics such as:
These presentations have been popular with many schools in the Canberra region. School administrators have been encouraged to contact the CRED Team to discuss any issues that the team could assist with.
In June 2014, a proposal for a Schools’ Liaison Officer program, coordinated by CRED, received executive endorsement. This program will complement the existing arrangements between ACT Policing and all ACT primary, secondary and tertiary education facilities.
The team, with the CRUs, delivers presentations for community groups which address home, business and personal safety issues. In addition, information on scams was provided so that the audiences were kept informed of what to look out for and participants were encouraged to check the government website SCAMwatch (www.scamwatch.gov.au) where they could read about or report scams.
In October 2013, the Victims of Crime Team implemented a pilot program to address the management of perpetrators in family violence matters. Effective support services to victims of crime will always remain a priority, and by providing support and guidance for perpetrators, it offers the opportunity to prevent, or at least reduce the likelihood of, reoffending and repeat victimisation. ACT Policing is keen to develop this important program and has started work on a collaborative agreement with the Canberra Men’s Centre, which offers support to men with complex needs.
The Victims of Crime Team has a dedicated member who liaises directly with perpetrators of family violence, provides them with advice on support services and makes appropriate referrals. The support services are provided by various government and non-government agencies that can provide ongoing counselling and support to the perpetrator.
This pilot program, though in its early stages, has already proved to be a valuable addition to ACT Policing’s crime reduction services.
The safety and welfare of senior members of the community is a high priority for ACT Policing. Throughout the reporting period, the CRU (North and South) Teams responded to a wide variety of requests from individual senior community members and groups. Being the target of a scam or other fraudulent activity, and home and personal safety, are two issues identified as areas of concern for our seniors members.
CRU members conducted about 100 visits to individuals and/or their families in private homes and aged care facilities throughout the ACT. In particular, the team’s attention has been focused on several elderly people, living alone and with limited or no family support. In some instances the team was able to arrange for support services such as the Older Persons Mental Health Service at ACT Health, healthcare professionals and in-home care facilities. The vulnerability of some of the senior members of the community is, and will remain, an area of concern as police are required to attend their premises regularly in response to requests for help.
To help in reducing safety concerns, an important crime reduction tool, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessments, has been used at aged care units in Waramanga and Bonython, at the request of ACT Housing and the ACT Ministerial Council of Ageing. These assessments are valuable in identifying and recommending improvements to the unit precinct so that issues of safety and vulnerability are minimised or removed completely. Sometimes it can be something as simple as improved lighting or the removal of vegetation which improves visibility and increases the feeling of safety for the residents.
The team attended a wide range of senior-related events, particularly during ACT Seniors’ Week in March. The CRU Team was represented at the ACT Chief Minister’s Breakfast, a seniors driver seminar and at the Seniors’ Expo. These events provided opportunities for the senior community to speak to police members and seek advice on any issues of concern. During contact between the seniors and members, our members can suggest or refer seniors to government and non-government support services if they are experiencing difficulties that are outside of policing services.
As part of the CRU service delivery, the team frequently makes presentations about home and personal safety to residents of aged care facilities; for example, Gungaderra Homestead in Gungahlin and Villaggio Sant’ Antonio in Page. These presentations offer practical advice on personal safety and the participants are given information on how and when to contact police. The presentations are very popular, with 14 presentations made to community groups during the reporting period.
The CRU teams are often able to reduce an individual’s fears by contacting them and offering advice and support to bring their concerns back to a manageable level.
More than six years have passed since the Police Patrol Attendance in the ACT – dispatch protocol came into effect. During this reporting period, we began reviewing our approach to dispatching community policing resources. It is an opportunity to research best practice models from other jurisdictions and take a strategic approach to supporting frontline members in the dynamic and ever-changing environment we work in.
The ACT Policing Response Model Review has been established to examine how we triage, prioritise and dispatch jobs as well as how we manage and allocate policing resources. The review is primarily focused on identifying the core policing responsibilities of ACT Policing, matching frontline resources with service demand and understanding how mobile technology can be incorporated to assist and streamline current business practices. This review will continue into the next reporting period.
Specific priorities or areas of focus for ACT Policing are outlined in the Ministerial Direction and are in line with the AFP Strategic Plan 2012–15.
The Ministerial Direction for 2014–15 outlines the following areas of specific focus:
Our future priorities also reflect the major challenges we have identified, trends and changes in our operating involvement, and our strategic focus areas. Our priorities take into account our internal and external operating environments and the need to detect, influence and disrupt crime.
A General Savings Measure of one per cent was applied to the Territorial appropriation for ACT Policing for the 2013–14 financial year and each of the budget out years (2014–15 to 2016–17). In this reporting period, ACT Policing absorbed the impact of this measure through a range of measures while preserving frontline services.
ACT Policing will continue to be challenged in the upcoming financial years to find new ways of working more efficiently to ensure we maintain our frontline services.
Historically, the AFP has been able to manage a healthy level of staff turnover through natural attrition that ensured the right levels of experience were retained in the right locations and opportunities for advancement were provided.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, there was a significantly lower level of attrition than has been experienced in many years. As a result, the AFP implemented a number of strategies to manage staffing numbers.
A suite of high-level recruiting principles were endorsed by AFP National Managers. This included direction that all portfolios must meet their budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE), analyse the requirement to fill vacant roles, and source internal candidates over external candidates where vacancies must be filled.
ACT Policing has felt the impact of each one of the recruitment principles over the course of the financial year. Portfolios required to reduce FTE were seeking placements for their excess staff. In the case of sworn staff from national portfolios, ACT Policing has accepted the transfer of officers with limited community policing experience, which has put pressure on team leaders to develop these members quickly, to enable them to perform their role to the required standard.
The filling of specialist roles has been particularly challenging, as applicants are generally sourced from outside the organisation. However, consideration has been given to internal candidates who are able to demonstrate most of the capabilities for the role, with extra support and training provided once in the role.
In 2013, AFP Learning and Development implemented a semester-based curriculum for the training of recruits. This model differed from the previous arrangement whereby ACT Policing base recruit courses were staggered throughout the year.
Rather than ACT Policing receiving recruits throughout the year, recruits will only enter ACT Policing twice per year. Immediately after each recruit class graduates, there is a period of increased activity when experienced members are required to instruct new members. The release of sworn members twice per year results in ACT Policing staffing numbers reaching the lowest point immediately prior to the attestation of the next course. This model must be carefully managed so that ACT Policing’s operational capability is not adversely affected.
ACT Policing has worked closely with business areas across the broader AFP to predict staffing requirements and implement a more structured management of staff across the organisation.
In common with many police services, ACT Policing has not achieved some KPIs around community perceptions of crime, yet it is consistently and widely communicated that crime levels in the ACT are in decline and are among the lowest in the country.
One tool which has proved effective in other jurisdictions is the localising of police by establishing communication links with the specific community areas they serve. The aim of this approach is to increase public confidence in police to deal with local issues. The Project Eyewatch Gungahlin social media trial program began in February 2014. Project Eyewatch has enabled ACT Policing to communicate some of the good results of community engagement such as the location of missing people and the recovery of stolen property.
We will continue to focus on challenging negative perceptions of crime in the community through a mixture of campaigns, media, digital content and direct interaction.
In April 2012, research was commissioned into the perceptions, brand positioning and public interface of ACT Policing. It was found that hard-to-reach younger age groups sought more interaction through digital media. This finding, together with the noted decline in the public consumption of more traditional forms of media (newspapers, in particular), prompted ACT Policing to augment its online presence during the 2013–14 reporting year, and thereby encourage greater interaction with the community.
However, for police, stepping into the online space presents as many pitfalls as opportunities. The greatest issues and complexities are those associated with conforming to Commonwealth privacy legislation (given that ACT Policing officers are also Australian Federal Police officers and thereby Commonwealth officers), as well as protecting the rights of all individuals to fair and impartial judgement under the rule of law. Although the use of social media was pioneered by other policing jurisdictions, the legislative environment in which ACT Policing operates means that we face more prescriptive and regulatory challenges than other jurisdictions.
While police are strongly motivated to connect with the public so as to generate witness statements and intelligence, the transparency and interaction available via common social media platforms demand careful moderation and vigilant monitoring. This activity is time and resource intensive, but vital.
Sensitivity towards the needs of victims and their families is also paramount to police in all interactive forums. Social media is not without risks, as users can be easily veiled in anonymity and use this in delivering unsolicited and poorly informed commentary. Again, the role of the moderator within the Police Media Team is essential.
As public media consumption habits change and evolve, the social media activity of ACT Policing, particularly as it applies to information gathering and dissemination, is certain to diversify and in doing so explore new and potentially more legally challenging options. But the genuine desire from the public to interact in a more spontaneous and less formal way with police is evident through a number of ACT Policing online activities and in particular its Twitter forums, where, by reviewing public responses, there is a shift in focus away from generic forums and towards the more focused kind, either patrol area-specific (such as to support ACT Policing’s Project Eyewatch Gungahlin trial program) or portfolio-specific (Traffic Operations).
The ongoing challenge for police, more so than almost any government agency, is to achieve that critical balance between public transparency, protecting operational security and working within legislative frameworks.
The Inquiry into the Conviction of David Harold Eastman for the Murder of Colin Stanley Winchester has presented a challenge to ACT Policing resources. ACT Policing was required to electronically catalogue substantial amounts of information sought by the inquiry.
In May 2010, we began our implementation of random roadside drug testing. The success of the initial phases of the drug drivers testing program highlighted the lack of understanding in the ACT community regarding the impact drug-impaired drivers can have on ACT roads.
To address this challenge, ACT Policing will continue to increase media coverage and events to highlight the dangers of drug-impaired driving and the relatively new ability of ACT Policing to detect and prosecute drug-impaired drivers. We will also continue to educate the ACT community through our targeted road safety campaigns and community engagement events.
Partnering with businesses to engage with the local community
ACT Policing teamed up with Bunnings Warehouse Tuggeranong and Neighbourhood Watch last October to provide home security advice to help the community protect their property from thieves.
On 19 October, members from ACT Policing’s Crime Reduction team, Tuggeranong patrol, recruits and Public Engagement handed out 2000 home security packs and engaged with thousands of community members at the Bunnings store in Tuggeranong.
This type of partnership event is important to remind the community not to be complacent about protecting their property and homes against burglary and theft.
By engaging with the community and promoting home security measures, theft and burglary can be prevented and people can be protected from becoming victims of crime.
ACT Policing members delivered displays from the Canine Unit and Constable Kenny Koala, with the police vehicles proving to be a favourite with young and old people.
In line with the Purchase Agreement (see Appendix 2), our aim is to create, in partnership with the community, a safer and more secure ACT through the provision of quality policing services. The agreement outlines four main outputs against which our performance is measured. These are:
[Output 1] ... providing efficient and effective police response to calls for assistance received from members of the community; conducting investigations to detect offenders and bring them to justice; and maintaining a proactive presence in the community, driven by the analysis of police intelligence data.
Measures associated with this output are Level of Crime, Perceptions of Crime, Police Responsiveness and Public Confidence in Police. For a summary of results against the Purchase Agreement see Appendix 4: Financial Statements and Statement of Performance.
The first four measures in the Purchase Agreement relate to Level of Crime.
For a full summary of all offences reported or becoming known to police, offences cleared and apprehensions in the ACT see Appendix 5: Offences reported or becoming known in the Australian Capital Territory 2013–14.
Offences against the person include homicide and related offences, assault, sexual offences and other threatening, negligent or dangerous acts towards a person. During the 2013–14 reporting period, offences against the person accounted for 8.7 per cent of all offences reported in the ACT.
Our target for this measure was 800 or less offences per 100 000 population. We achieved this target, with 655.89 offences being reported per 100 000 population.
During the reporting period there were 2459 offences against the person reported to ACT Policing. This represents a 10.9 per cent decrease (or a decrease of 300 offences) compared to the previous reporting period (2012–13). Figure B.2.1 below illustrates our consistent performance against the measure, showing a declining trend of offences against the person in the ACT over the past five years.
Figure B.2.1: Offences against the person by type 2009–10 to 2013–14
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
* Other offences against the person include homicide and related offences, kidnapping, dangerous or negligent acts, harassment and threatening behaviour.
With the exception of Other Offences Against the Person, all other offences included in measure 1 decreased when compared to 2012–13. As presented in Table B.2.1 below, considerable decreases include homicide and related offences (down 33.3 per cent or two offences), assaults — in public places and the home (down by 16.5 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively) and sexual offences (down 15.3 per cent or 66 offences).
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
ACT Policing continues to proactively target the misuse of alcohol, acknowledging there is a strong connection between excessive alcohol consumption and offences against the person. During the 2013–14 reporting period, 28 per cent (689 offences) of all offences against the person were related to alcohol. A large proportion of these alcohol-related offences were assaults occurring in public places (58.9 per cent) and in the home (30.8 per cent).
In September 2013, the Alcohol Crime Targeting Team and City Beats Team were amalgamated to form the Regional Targeting Team (RTT) as a direct response to target alcohol-related crime. The RTT is responsible for high-visibility public order policing and alcohol crime targeting activities in relation to the Liquor Act 2010 (ACT) in and around licensed premises, public places and at identified events throughout the ACT. The RTT works closely with agencies such as the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) in ensuring high levels of public safety and perceptions of safety around Canberra’s entertainment precincts and venues. By actively working with ORS, ACT Policing continues to engage with licencees and their staff to encourage safe and responsible drinking practices with the common objective to reduce the negative community effects of alcohol-related harm.
We are also committed to working with licensed venues in the prevention of alcohol-related violence in public places. ACT Policing engages extensively with owners and patrons of licensed premises to ensure that they understand their obligations under the Liquor Act 2010 (ACT), as well as encouraging the responsible consumption of alcohol. In the 2013–14 reporting period, the RTT conducted 1680 visits/inspections of licensed premises. This was achieved through close collaboration with licencees and staff in the ACT liquor industry.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, ACT Policing launched the 2013–14 Safe Summer campaign to promote safe attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol and partying, road use and personal safety. This campaign was conducted over the summer period (December 2013 – February 2014) and targeted teenagers and young adults (18 to 35-year-olds) who consume alcohol and/or drugs to varying levels. Results have shown the campaign had an impact on Canberra patrons with an overall reduction of 25.3 per cent in the number of Criminal Infringement Notices (CINs) issued. In the lead-up to and during the Safe Summer campaign, ACT Policing liaised with licensed establishments and set out to educate patrons on the financial costs associated with CINs.
Offences against property include robbery, burglary, fraud, handling of stolen goods, motor vehicle theft, theft other than of a motor vehicle, property damage and environmental offences.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, offences against property accounted for 59.9 per cent of all offences reported or becoming known in the ACT. The target for this measure was 8300 or less offences against property reported or becoming known per 100 000 population.
We achieved this measure by recording 4509.6 offences, significantly lower than the target by 45.7 per cent. During the 2013–14 reporting period, 16 907 offences against property were reported to ACT. When compared to the 2012–13 reporting period, this represents a considerable decrease of 14.1 per cent (or a decrease of 2779 offences), and is the lowest number of property offences recorded in more than a decade.
Figure B.2.2: Offences against property by type 2009–10 to 2013–14
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
* Other offences against property include robbery, blackmail and extortion, fraud and misappropriation, and handling of stolen goods offences.
ACT Policing remains supportive of the 2012–2015 ACT Property Crime Reduction Strategy and is committed to working with the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JaCS) to ensure the targets for the reduction of burglary and motor vehicle theft victims are achieved. In response to the Property Crime Reduction Strategy, ACT Policing’s Crime Targeting Team provides an immediate investigative capability to address volume crime offences. This response capacity enables the Crime Targeting Team to direct investigators to significant property offences and to incidents where suspects have been identified.
As a result of our efforts in line with the Property Crime Reduction Strategy, ACT Policing has seen significant decreases against almost all property crime offences reported in the ACT. This is with the exception of Other Offences Against Property, which recorded a minor increase of 2.8 per cent. As presented in Table B.2.2 below, decreases include robbery — armed and unarmed (down 17.7 per cent and 28.2 per cent respectively), property damage offences (down 22.8 per cent or 1262 offences), motor vehicle theft (down 14.1 per cent or 122 offences) and burglary offences (7.9 per cent or 179 offences).
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
ACT Policing continues to support the Neighbourhood Watch program. Neighbourhood Watch aims to reduce property crimes and crimes against the community by encouraging the community to watch out for and report suspicious activities to Crime Stoppers and police. Along with promoting crime reduction messages, Neighbourhood Watch plays a part in increasing community confidence in police and rationalising community perceptions of crime and antisocial behaviour. Recently, Neighbourhood Watch disseminated ACT Policing’s crime reduction messages on home security and awareness of scams that prey on the vulnerability of elderly people.
In February 2014, the Lock It or Lose It campaign was launched to inform cyclists on how to lock their bikes correctly and to reinforce the importance of recording a description of their bike, including serial numbers, and reporting any thefts to police immediately.
ACT Policing continues to actively engage with Crime Stoppers, and is represented on its board at the Deputy Chief Police Officer level. Through Crime Stoppers, ACT Policing has extended and enhanced its community awareness reach and capability to improve information reports from the community. This strategic partnership, along with Neighbourhood Watch, helps to achieve continued decline in property crime.
Offences cleared relates to offences for which there was an outcome during the reporting period. These outcomes include identification of an offender (through arrest or some other form of proceeding such as a summons or caution), withdrawal of the complaint, insufficient evidence to proceed against an alleged offender or the determination that the offence was unsubstantiated.
The target for this measure required a clear-up rate of 72 per cent or more offences for all offences against the person. We achieved this target with a clear-up rate of 74.5 per cent (or 1832 offences), exceeding the target by 2.5 per cent.
As illustrated in Figure B.2.3, ACT Policing has consistently recorded a clear-up rate of 67.7 per cent or more since 2009–10.
Figure B.2.3: Offences against the person cleared 2009–10 to 2013–14
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
The clear-up of offences against property occurs when the outcome for an investigation has been recorded. The possible outcomes include identification of an offender (through arrest or some other form of proceeding such as a summons or caution), withdrawal of the complaint or the determination that the offence was unsubstantiated.
The nature of property offences typically means that it is more difficult for us to clear these offences than it is to clear offences against the person. This is because the victim rarely sees the offender commit the offence and offenders often do not know their victims.
The annual target for this measure was 15 per cent or more offences against property cleared. We achieved this target by recording a clear-up rate of 15.9 per cent of total property offences (or 2692 offences). Figure B.2.4 illustrates our performance against clear-up rates for offences against property for the past five financial years.
Figure B.2.4: Offences against property cleared 2009–10 to 2013–14
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
The National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP) is a nationwide telephone survey which measures community perceptions of a range of policing-related issues. These issues include satisfaction with policing services, feelings of safety, concern about potential victimisation and beliefs about police behaviour. During the 2013–14 reporting period, 2400 residents of the ACT participated in the survey, with 28 301 participating nationally.
The survey monitors community concern about becoming a victim of certain crime types. While this series of questions can elicit a variety of interpretations ranging from an assessment of likelihood of victimisation through to an assessment of how the victim would feel if they were to become a victim, the indicators are the best available for ‘fear’ of crime. Figure B.2.5 shows the percentage of people in the ACT somewhat concerned or very concerned about becoming a victim of certain crime types in the next 12 months compared to the national average.
It is important to note that while we aim to reduce the level of ‘fear’ of crime in the community, there are some positive aspects to the community having some level of concern/awareness of crime in their neighbourhood. A level of awareness about crime can reinforce crime prevention behaviours and limit the person’s potential for victimisation.
The perception of crime measures in the Purchase Agreement (measures 5–10) assess the community’s concern about becoming a victim of crime in the next 12 months with regard to physical assault, sexual assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. This section also includes measures that assess the percentage of people who feel safe at home alone during the day and walking in their neighbourhood during the night.
For measures 5 to 8 we are required to achieve a result that is equivalent to the national average or less, and equivalent to the national average or more for measures 9 and 10.
It is important that the perception of crime results are considered in context against the actuality of crime reported to police. Housebreakings and motor vehicle theft, for instance, recorded strong decreases during the 2013–14 reporting period. However, more survey respondents felt they were likely to become victims of these offence types when compared with the national average.
ACT Policing continues to address community perceptions of crime by maintaining an online presence through social media accounts, publishing media releases and crime statistics on the ACT Policing website.
For more information about ACT Policing’s use of social media see Section B.1: Organisational Overview.
Figure B.2.5: Perception of crime by offence type 2013–14
Source: NSCSP, 9 July 2014
The target for this measure was the national average or less. In the ACT, 28.6 per cent of persons were concerned about becoming a victim of physical assault compared to a national average of 37.1 per cent.
ACT Policing’s performance against this measure is consistent with the decline of reported assaults in public places. For the 2013–14 reporting period, the number of assaults in public places reported in the ACT decreased by 16.5 per cent when compared to 2012–13.
Measure 6 — Percentage of persons who are concerned about becoming a victim of sexual assault in the next 12 months
The target for the percentage of persons who are concerned about becoming a victim of sexual assault in the next 12 months was the national average or less. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 12.2 per cent while the ACT result was 10.1 per cent.
Compared to the 2012–13 reporting period, the number of sexual offences reported in the ACT decreased considerably by 15.3 per cent (or a decrease of 66 offences). Nationally, the reporting of sexual assaults is generally underreported. ACT Policing continues to encourage victims of sexual offences to report these incidents to police, regardless of when the offence occurred.
The target for this measure was the national average or less. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 55.1 per cent, with the ACT recording 57.3 per cent.
While not meeting the target for this measure, the actual rate of residential burglaries reported in the ACT decreased considerably by 8.3 per cent (or a decrease of 129 offences) when compared to the 2012–13 reporting period. This demonstrates inconsistency between the rate of recorded crime and the concern about becoming a victim of housebreaking.
The number of residential burglary offences reported during the 2013–14 reporting period reflects the lowest rate of housebreakings recorded in the ACT for more than a decade. This is demonstrated in Figure B.2.6, which illustrates a downward trend of residential burglary offences despite the community’s perception of the incidence of housebreakings. ACT Policing recognises the delay between actual reductions in crime over a sustained period of time and the perception of this reduction in crime.
Figure B.2.6: Residential burglary offences reported to ACT Policing 2000–01 to 2013–14
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
The 2013–14 target for this measure was the national average or less. The national average for the reporting period was 41.6 per cent, while the ACT result for the financial year was 38.1 per cent.
The result against this measure is consistent with the declining rate of stolen motor vehicle offences reported in the ACT. Compared to the 2012–13 reporting period, offences for motor vehicle theft have decreased considerably by 14.1 per cent (or a decrease of 122 offences). Figure B.2.7 represents a downwards trend of motor vehicle theft, illustrating that the 2013–14 reporting period results were the lowest in more than a decade.
Figure B.2.7: Stolen motor vehicle offences reported to ACT Policing 2000–01 to 2013–14
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
During the 2013–14 reporting period, ACT Policing partnered with a number of organisations to reduce registration plate theft through Project Safe Plate. ACT motorists were encouraged to bring their vehicles to town centres for ACT Policing officers to fit plates with tamper-proof screws, making it more difficult for thieves to steal the plates. Project Safe Plate is an initiative aimed at decreasing the number of vehicle registration plate thefts as well as other property offences such as motor vehicle theft, petrol drive-offs and robbery where number plate theft is usually a precursor.
For more information on Project Safe Plate see Section B.3: Community Engagement and Support.
The target for this measure was the national average or more. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 50.8 per cent. We exceeded this target with 54.3 per cent of people in the ACT stating they feel safe when walking in their neighbourhood during the night.
The target for this measure was the national average or more. The national average for the financial year was 88.9 per cent, with the ACT exceeding this target recording 93.8 per cent.
When comparing the results against this measure nationally, the ACT was ranked the highest for the percentage of persons who feel safe at home alone during the night. Survey results demonstrated that ACT residents feel safer than other Australians at all locations and at all times of the day. This is represented in Figure B.2.8 below.
Figure B.2.8: Feelings of safety by location and time of day 2013–14
Source: NSCSP, 9 July 2014
We encourage all members of the public to report criminal incidents to police. All public contact with police is recorded, and while not all reports will result in attendance by our members, those reports form part of the intelligence process to identify issues and direct patrols.
The coordination of efficient and effective responses to calls for assistance from members of the community is the responsibility of ACT Policing Operations. The allocation of our resources on the frontline continues to be managed in line with the three-level priority response model. The model ensures that our resources are deployed to the most serious incidents. The categories are:
Measures 11 to 13 gauge our responsiveness by recording response times to incidents of each priority type, while measure 14 details the time taken to answer Triple Zero (000) calls. ACT Policing has exceeded the targets for all measures within the police responsiveness output.
The targeted response time for Priority One incidents is 75 per cent or more within eight minutes and 90 per cent or more within 12 minutes. ACT Policing met both tiers of the response time targets for Priority One incidents with 75.1 per cent achieved within 8 minutes and 94.0 per cent achieved within 12 minutes.
Higher average response times during the 2013–14 reporting period for all Priority One incidents were due to a higher number of Priority One calls to ACT Policing. Priority One calls increased by 16.4 per cent compared to the 2012–13 reporting period, with the March 2014 quarter recording the highest number of Priority One calls received by ACT Policing since 2011.
Financial year results show that 29 per cent (18 records) of failed Priority One incidents were responded to in less than nine minutes, with one incident having a response time of eight minutes and two seconds recorded.
The target for Priority Two incidents is 70 per cent within 20 minutes and 95 per cent or more within 30 minutes. ACT Policing achieved these targets, with 90.8 per cent and 96.9 per cent respectively.
The 2013–14 reporting period target for Priority Three incidents was 90 per cent for police attendance or response no later than 48 hours from the initial contact by the complainant, or within a time that is determined in consultation with the complainant. ACT Policing exceeded this target with the response time for attendance at Priority Three incidents a high 99.6 per cent.
The 2013–14 target for Triple Zero (000) calls answered on first presentation was 92 per cent or more, and second presentation was 98 per cent or more. We achieved a result of 95.9 per cent for calls answered on first presentation and 99.8 per cent for calls answered on second presentation.
If members of the public are satisfied with their most recent contact with our members, they are more likely to report other incidents (contributing to the gathering of intelligence) and assist us in solving crimes in our community.
The NSCSP includes a number of questions that monitor public confidence levels of police nationwide. Three of these survey questions are used to measure confidence and satisfaction with ACT Policing against the national average (for measures 15 to 17).
The 2013–14 target for this measure was the national average or more. ACT Policing exceeded this target with 84.5 per cent of persons satisfied with their contact with our members in the past 12 months, compared to 83.5 per cent nationally.
The most common contact with police in the ACT in the past 12 months was for random breath testing operations (18.3 per cent), followed by the category to report a crime (12.4 per cent). The most common reason for dissatisfaction with policing during the 2013–14 reporting period was that police did not do enough or took no action (34.7 per cent).
* Proportion of people who have had contact with police in the last 12 months that were satisfied with that contact
Figure B.2.9: Satisfaction with police 2013–14
Source: NSCSP, 9 July 2014
The target for this measure was the national average or more. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 86.8 per cent or more. ACT Policing achieved this target with 89.8 per cent of people in the ACT agreeing that we perform our job professionally. When compared nationally, the ACT recorded the highest proportion of persons who agreed police perform their job professionally during the 2013–14 reporting period.
The target for this measure was the national average or more. The national average for the financial year was 76.1 per cent, with 79.9 per cent of people in the ACT agreeing that police treat people fairly and equally.
Figure B.2.10 shows a comparison of results between the ACT and the national average relating to community beliefs about police. The questions focused on the perceived professionalism, fairness and honesty of our members and the confidence respondents have in them. As demonstrated in Figure B.2.10, the ACT is above the national average for all questions relating to public confidence in police.
Figure B.2.10: Community beliefs about police 2013–14
Source: NSCSP, 9 July 2014
[Output 2] … enforce traffic laws and promote safer behaviour on ACT roads with the objectives of reducing the number of crash fatalities and injuries to members of the community.
Working closely with road safety stakeholders and partnering agencies, we have played a key role in the development of various road safety initiatives to educate and enforce the road rules applicable to the ACT with a strong focus on reducing road trauma. These agencies include the Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS) Directorate, Office of Road Safety and JaCS.
ACT Policing continued its focus on road safety over busy holiday periods during the 2013–14 reporting period, with activities including Operation CROSSROADS. Operation CROSSROADS is a partnership between ACT Policing and NSW Police Force that provides a highly visible police presence on our shared roads targeting speeding, drink driving and fatigue over the Easter, Christmas and New Year periods. During the Easter period, ACT Policing issued 258 traffic infringement notices (TINs) and 160 cautions for driving offences. ACT Policing conducted 2464 random breath tests, of which 21 returned a positive result, and 61 roadside drug tests, of which 14 returned a positive result. This activity reinforces ACT Policing’s focus on road safety issues, particularly in relation to antisocial and dangerous driving behaviours.
The target for this measure was 4.2 or less road crashes resulting in death per 100 000 population. ACT Policing achieved this measure by recording 2.1 fatal road crashes per 100 000 during the 2013–14 reporting period.
In 2013–14, there were eight road collisions resulting in eight fatal deaths, a decrease of three deaths from the 11 deaths (from 11 collisions) recorded in the previous financial year.
As illustrated in Figure B.2.11, the number of fatal collisions per 100 000 population has continued to decline since 2011–12. It is also important to note that for the 2013 calendar year, the ACT recorded its second lowest annual road toll with only seven fatalities (deaths and collisions). We will continue our traffic enforcement and driver awareness campaigns to prevent deaths and serious injury on ACT roads.
Figure B.2.11: Fatal deaths from road collisions per 100 000 population 2009–10 to 2013–14
Sources: ACT Policing Annual Reports; PROMIS as at 2 July 2014; Australian road deaths database, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development as at 15 July 2014 and Regional Population Growth, Australia and New Zealand, 2011 (ABS, cat. no. 3218.0)
In May 2014, ACT Policing supported the National Road Safety Week Yellow Ribbon campaign, an initiative of Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH). On 5 May 2014, as part of the Yellow Ribbon campaign, 132 pairs of shoes lined the ACT Legislative Assembly’s pavement, representing each life lost on ACT roads over the past decade.
In May 2014, ACT Policing members held a Twitter forum to answer traffic-related questions. During an hour, ACT Policing members answered 63 questions among more than 100 comments and the hashtag #Talk2ACTPol was used 87 times. Questions about road rules, antisocial driving and reporting traffic incidents were the most popular topics.
The target for this measure was 180 or less road crashes resulting in injury per 100 000 population. ACT Policing achieved this measure with the number of road collisions resulting in injury recorded at 173.6 per 100 000 population.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, there were 651 motor vehicle collisions involving injury. This is a slight increase from 641 collisions in 2012–13 (1.6 per cent).
Figure B.2.12: Motor vehicle collisions with injury 2009–10 to 2013–14
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
The target for measure 20 was the national average or less for people who self-report driving 10km per hour or more over the speed limit. The national average was 20.2 per cent. Our result was over the target for the 2013–14 reporting period, with 25.2 per cent of persons self-reporting to driving 10km per hour over the speed limit.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, ACT Policing issued 5629 TINs for speeding-related offences, a decrease of 19.4 per cent to the 6983 TINs issued in 2012–13. Almost half of the TINs issued by ACT Policing for speeding were for driving in excess of between 15km and 30km per hour over the speed limit.
The target for the percentage of persons who self-report driving while not wearing a seatbelt was the national average or less. The national average was 1.9 per cent. ACT Policing achieved the target during the 2013–14 period with 1.4 per cent of people self-reporting to driving while not wearing a seatbelt.
The target for this measure was the national average or less. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 1.3 per cent. ACT Policing did not achieve this target, with a result of 1.7 per cent.
Removing impaired drivers from ACT roads remains a strong focus for ACT Policing. During the 2013–14 reporting period, ACT Policing performed 148 295 random breath tests, in which 1348 drivers were identified as over the prescribed limit of alcohol. This resulted in 0.9 per cent of drivers producing a positive breath test.
Figure B.2.13: Number of breath tests and proportion of positive breath tests by year 2009–10 to 2013–14
Sources: ACT Policing Annual Report 2012–13 and ACT Policing Traffic Operations
The target for this measure was the national average or less for people who self-report driving when using a mobile phone. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 10.3 per cent and the 2013–14 result for the ACT was 12.8 per cent.
The number of TINs issued by ACT Policing for driving while using a mobile phone during 2013–14 was 1205, a decrease of 14.4 per cent in the number of TINs issued for this infringement type when compared to 2012–13. ACT Policing continues to focus on driver distraction as part of the Road Safety Calendar.
[Output 3] … maximise the number of successful prosecutions in Court by providing support to the Director of Public Prosecutions [DPP] and the Courts.
Our target for this measure was to deliver 75 per cent or more of briefs to the DPP within the designated timeframe. We achieved the target for this measure with 88 per cent of briefs delivered to the DPP within the set timeframe.
The ACT Policing target for this measure was to finalise 82 per cent or more cases. ACT Policing achieved this target with 86.5 per cent of cases finalised by offence proved in court.
The ACT Policing target for this measure was to finalise 15 per cent or less of cases finalised by a not-guilty verdict or otherwise withdrawn. ACT Policing achieved this target with 12.1 per cent.
The ACT Policing target for this measure was to ensure 5 per cent or less of cases were otherwise resolved (other than by offence proved in court or a not-guilty verdict, or otherwise withdrawn). This measure relates to incidents where defendants are found unfit to plead due to mental illness. ACT Policing achieved the target, recording 1.5 per cent of cases otherwise resolved.
[Output 4] … reduce and prevent crime through strategies that incorporate government and community cooperation to address risk factors associated with criminal behaviour and recidivism and raise awareness of the community’s role in their own safety and security.
Research shows that neighbourhood problems, incivility or perceived problems are commonly linked with perceived levels of crime and general safety. For example, perception of neighbourhood incivility is an indication of a lack of public order in the neighbourhood, that social controls are diminishing and police are unable to deal effectively with neighbourhood problems.
We have continued our commitment to reduce the fear of crime in the community by increasing public awareness of proactive targeting and reported crime in local neighbourhoods. Through ACT Policing’s online crime mapping tool CrimeStatistics, the public has greater accessibility to offence-related information within their local areas.
By increasing the community’s access to crime-related information we anticipate an improvement in ACT residents’ perception of quality of life issues. Also, members of the public are able to identify and report incidents that cause concern through Crime Stoppers (web-based and telephone reporting). This information is used to direct intelligence collection and targeting for police resources.
ACT Policing continues to engage local communities through the Crime Stoppers and Neighbourhood Watch forums, encouraging people to report antisocial behaviour and suspected criminal activities. Heightening community awareness to these issues better informs ACT Policing on local community issues and refines their perceptions on crime issues.
The target for this measure was the national average or less. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 60.8 per cent. ACT Policing did not achieve the target, with 63.9 per cent of people who perceive speeding cars, dangerous or noisy driving as being a problem in their neighbourhood.
We have continued our commitment to addressing community concerns of dangerous driving by increasing the public awareness of traffic-targeting in local neighbourhoods. The public can access offence-related information through CrimeStatistics and through ACT Policing’s social media channels.
The target for this measure was the national average or less. The national average was 41.6 per cent. ACT Policing achieved this target with 40.3 per cent of people perceiving graffiti/vandalism as being a problem in their neighbourhood.
Reporting period comparisons show graffiti offences reported to ACT Policing have increased by 37.7 per cent from 2012–13 to 2013–14. However, results for total property damage offences for the 2013–14 reporting period show a significant decrease (22.8 per cent) when compared to the 2012–13 reporting period.
The target for the percentage of persons who perceive louts/gangs to be a problem in their neighbourhood was the national average or less. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 22.3 per cent, while the ACT result was 15.3 per cent.
In 2013–14, ACT Policing in partnership with the ACT Government and Crime Stoppers launched the ACT Illicit Firearms Rewards campaign as a method to target serious and organised crime. The focus of this initiative was to offer public reward payments of up to $5000 for information leading to the seizure of illicit firearms or a successful prosecution for firearm-related crime. As a result of the six-month campaign, ACT Policing executed 25 search warrants, resulting in the seizure of 25 operational firearms, 11 replica firearms and about 3500 rounds of assorted ammunition.
The target for the percentage of persons who perceive drunken/disorderly behaviour to be a problem in their neighbourhood was the national average or less. The national average for the 2013–14 reporting period was 33.7 per cent. ACT Policing achieved this, with a result of 28.0 per cent.
The target for this measure was 110 or more young persons referred to restorative justice, while the target for referral of eligible Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander juveniles to restorative justice is 95 per cent.
ACT Policing met both tiers of this measure with 111 young people being referred to juvenile justice programs, 98.3 per cent of which were for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander juveniles.
Our target for this measure was 5500 or more persons referred to community support agencies. ACT Policing achieved this target with 5963 referrals to SupportLink.
Our members use the SupportLink service to provide a crime prevention or community care approach to issues identified during their duties. The primary issues addressed are:
ACT Policing’s target for this measure was 80 per cent or more. We achieved this target with 81.7 per cent of victims contacted by our Victim Liaison Officers during the 2013–14 reporting period.
The target for this measure was 80 or more referrals to drug diversion programs. ACT Policing achieved this target with a high number of people (155) diverted into the Early Intervention and Drug Diversion Program.
Source: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014
ACT Policing has submitted each quarterly report on complaints in accordance with this requirement.
Further information about complaints reporting can be found at Section C.1: Internal Accountability.
Community engagement continued to be a major focus this reporting period. Our community engagement activities sought to encourage positive interaction between police and members of the community, increase community confidence, and actively support relationships with stakeholders. Through our diverse programs, we try to engage with all members of the ACT community.
ACT Policing and Bunnings Warehouse have partnered for the past three years, hosting a home security event to help ACT residents prepare their homes for the holiday season. The demographic of Bunnings customers allows direct engagement with home owners and other adults and their families. Also, the venue provides the items, tools and expertise to help with the installation of the new security measures.
The event took place at the Bunnings Warehouse in Tuggeranong on Saturday 19 October 2013. ACT Policing engaged with about 5000 members of the community during the event.
A range of marketing collateral was developed to disseminate key messages and facilitate discussions with the community on home security. Some 2000 show bags containing home safety equipment and information were given to members of the community.
The day attracted a large number of children who interacted with Constable Kenny, face painting, police vehicles and the Canine Unit. Neighbourhood Watch was also present, providing volunteers and extra information.
As part of Bushfire Awareness Week, the ACT Rural Fire Service (ACTRFS) held an open day on Sunday 20 October 2013 at the ACTRFS hangar in Hume. The event was an opportunity to engage with the community to reinforce the key message of personal and home safety during a bushfire: ‘Prepare. Act. Survive.’
ACT Policing provided interactive displays which included a Special Response Group Tactical Operations vehicle, a maritime jetski, a Rural Patrol 4WD vehicle, and a high-visibility marked car.
These displays generated great interest, and members from those teams and Crime Reduction entertained and informed everyone who attended.
This event provided a great opportunity for ACT Policing to engage with the community to raise public awareness of bushfire safety measures and public confidence in local emergency services.
On 2 November 2013, the Canberra baseball team, The Cavalry, held a night out for emergency service personnel, their families and friends. ACT Policing promoted safe drinking to attendees.
Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers pitched the first ball and police motorbikes and marked cars were displayed at the ground, while Constable Kenny engaged with children and mingled with the crowd.
Media and Public Engagement members assisted the children at the Constable Kenny badge-making and sign-making stand. Crime Reduction members engaged people and reinforced the responsible drinking message through the interactive beer goggles and ‘guess the standard drink size’ activities.
Traffic Operations members had positive interaction with those who attended, especially the children — helping them get on and off the motorbike and inside the high-visibility marked vehicle.
The event proved a successful opportunity to strengthen relationships with the local community and other first responder emergency service personnel, and to increase awareness about responsible drinking.
On Saturday 23 November 2013 we once again launched our successful Men in Uniform stalls in support of White Ribbon Day. The event is recognised as a call-to-action for the community to join together and take an active stand in condemning violence against women.
Uniformed members of ACT Policing, the Australian Defence Force and ACT Emergency Services manned stalls at 12 Canberra shopping centres. ACT Policing Executive members also showed their support on the day, with White Ribbon Ambassador and Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers attending stalls across Canberra.
The campaign aimed to raise awareness of the issue of violence against women and change community attitudes and behaviours regarding their responsibilities in preventing family violence. We used the event to highlight ACT Policing’s commitment to ending domestic violence and to encourage people to speak up about the issue and report violence to police. Our community message this year was ‘Don’t be a bystander’.
Communication channels included direct community engagement, radio advertising, social media and internal communications.
The stalls sold White Ribbon Day merchandise and gave information about violence against women. Swear jars encouraging members to swear an oath not to remain silent about violence against women were also distributed to each ACT police station as part of the internal Battle of the Stations competition, further consolidating support for the cause throughout ACT Policing. Jars were also at the stalls, giving members of the public the opportunity to swear the oath.
ACT Policing’s active support for the White Ribbon Foundation increases our positive community interactions while promoting a crime reduction activity to improve community safety and security.
On the day, the Men in Uniform stalls raised a record $30 697 for the cause — an increase on the previous year’s total — and a total of 638 oaths were sworn.
On the evening of Friday 13 December 2013, the Crime Reduction and Public Engagement teams hosted a Safe Summer display located along City Walk in Garema Place. The marquee was in support of Operation Unite — an operation across Australia and New Zealand targeting alcohol misuse, violence and antisocial behaviour in their communities.
The aim of this event was to provide education and alcohol diversion information to the public.
As part of the display, members provided information on safe party behaviours. The beer goggles were put to good use through the ‘walk the line’ and ‘hole in one’ challenges, both of which demonstrated how alcohol affects the senses, reflexes and judgement. Members of the public were asked to pour what they considered to be a standard drink into a wine or beer glass. ACT Policing members then demonstrated the correct amount by using a glass marked according to the Office of Regulatory Services guidelines.
Campaign branded items including water bottles and jelly baby lolly bags were handed out to about 1000 members of the public.
Champions ACT were also at the event handing out merchandise and promoting safe partying behaviours.
The event provided fun, practical insights to the need for responsible behaviour when drinking, and promoted Operation Unite, the national initiative focusing on anti-social behaviour.
On Saturday 14 December 2013, the Special Children’s Christmas Party was held.
The aim of the party was to provide more than 1600 children with a happy day that they will never forget. The attending children are terminally ill, intellectually impaired or physically impaired.
ACT Policing and the wider AFP support the party each year, with more than 90 members and volunteers having fun with the children and helping where required.
The police stall included a motorcycle, a high-visibility marked car, a jetski, a canine unit and Constable Kenny.
Held from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 February 2014, the National Multicultural Festival was led by the ACT Government in partnership with the national multicultural community. ACT Policing was again a major sponsor, holding a stall on the Saturday and Sunday.
The festival celebrated the cultural diversity of the ACT, encouraging people to connect through arts, music, dance and food.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission research shows that during the 2012–13 financial year, ACT victims lost $3.2 million to scams. In response, ACT Policing’s focus was to educate the multicultural community on scammers, increase awareness of the correct emergency and police assistance contact numbers in the ACT, and to build trust in police through positive engagement.
A media release was published the week of the festival to promote ACT Policing’s support of, and involvement in, the event. Social media channels such as the AFP and ACT Policing websites and Twitter accounts were used to inform the community.
Handy pocket guides were given to members of the community that included the ‘10 golden rules’ to protect themselves from scams and how to report them, plus the various emergency and police assistance numbers.
Static and interactive displays — especially the canines, police motorcycles, the vehicles, jetskis and Constable Kenny Koala — were popular, with the children’s identification wristbands again welcomed by parents.
ACT Policing members engaged with the public through conversation, information, demonstration and helping children climb on and off the motorcycles and jetski.
An estimated 250 000 people attended the festival. More than 100 likes were received by the AFP Facebook page, due to the positive engagement by our staff at the display who highlighted the various social media channels to the public.
Having members with a multicultural background made the ACT Policing display more welcoming and comfortable for the multicultural community, drawing them to the display to interact with police.
The Lock It or Lose It bike theft prevention campaign was a collaboration between ACT Policing and the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JaCS).
The campaign was officially launched on 12 February 2014 by Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mr Simon Corbell, Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers and local BMX celebrity Ms Caroline Buchanan, in conjunction with the Australian National University (ANU) and University of Canberra O week.
A media launch with a recent victim of bike theft, ANU student Emily Parkes, was held in Civic, near frequently used public bicycle racks.
ACT Policing worked with the University of Canberra to provide pamphlets in student show bags and attended the ANU market day to educate students on how to prevent bike theft, record bike serial numbers and report bike theft.
ACT Policing set up a display on bike theft prevention at the Big Canberra Bike Ride on Sunday 2 March 2014. The display included a map of bike theft in Canberra, brochures and other campaign collateral. Some 1000 riders took part to raise money for the Cycle Safe Community program.
A bike-locking demonstration video which was created was viewed 200 times on YouTube and was also embedded directly into other websites. Facebook advertising, radio segments and Avant Cards were also used to raise awareness.
In addition, a URL (police.act.gov.au/biketheft) was created to provide easy access to information, which was included on all promotional material. The campaign URL received more than 700 visits.
The 2014 Royal Canberra Show, attended by about 100 000 people, presented a great opportunity to positively interact with the ACT community.
Thousands of Canberrans visited the ACT Policing display at the ActewAGL Royal Canberra Show, held from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 February 2014. ACT Policing’s annual presence at the show aims to increase public confidence in police through positive engagement, while drawing community focus to key messages.
The theme and messaging aimed to increase understanding of the correct emergency number to call and increase community contact through social media. Constable Kenny Koala provided key safety messages, particularly to the youngest Canberrans.
Alongside Kenny, members of the National Canine Team and Traffic Operations gave daily stage demonstrations, showcasing their capabilities and providing important messages to audiences in a fun and interactive way.
The Think First Then Dial interactive challenge tested community members’ understanding of the correct emergency number to call. This challenge was highly successful, with more than 1300 people participating.
To increase awareness of ACT Policing and AFP social media channels, life-sized cardboard cut-outs of operational members and a police vehicle were set up, allowing people to insert themselves and take a photo to upload onto social media.
ACT Policing’s display was presented with the Indoor Grand Champion Award for the third year in a row.
ACT Policing has been a Skyfire sponsor since 2011. Skyfire is one of the few all-age events in the ACT where alcohol is permitted, and the large proportion of young people attending makes the event an ideal opportunity to communicate preventative alcohol-related crime messaging.
Promotion of the police presence prior to the event contributed to ensuring alcohol-related incidents were minimal and did not affect the event. Members from a range of teams worked together to conduct high-visibility patrols throughout the night.
In the lead-up to the event, media and social media messaging also focused on safety and the issue of missing children. Activities included a Constable Kenny Koala Skyfire safety video and tweets distributed via social media channels.
On the day prior to the event, Officer-in-Charge Crime Reduction Harry Hains spoke on breakfast radio, giving tips for ensuring children do not get lost and encouraging people to follow ACT Policing’s traffic Twitter account for road closure and delay information.
To reduce the number of lost children at Skyfire, free identification wristbands were developed and handed out. The wristbands provided a positive opportunity for police officers to engage with the public. Constable Kenny Koala was present at the display, engaging with children and families. Anecdotal feedback has shown that ACT Policing’s efforts to minimise distress to lost children and their parents through distribution of the wristbands was well-received.
With more than 100 000 people in attendance, Skyfire 2014 provided an opportunity for ACT Policing to enhance community perceptions of police and public safety. Social media engagement also increased across all ACT Policing channels during the lead-up to Skyfire.
On Sunday 30 March 2014, Snowy Hydro SouthCare held its annual open day at its helicopter base in Hume. The open day acts as part of the awareness month that is used to highlight the vital role the rescue helicopter plays in the community. The day attracted a record crowd of 8000 people.
To show our support, ACT Policing attended with a stall, Constable Kenny Koala and a variety of interactive displays. A Traffic Operations motorcycle, Rural Patrol 4WD vehicle, Search and Rescue Polaris vehicle and Special Response Group maritime vessel were all accessible to members of the public, with officers happy to explain their equipment.
Constable Kenny engaged the children through interactions such as the free pop-up cardboard Kenny Koala hats and police cars that the children could make themselves.
‘Know Who To Call’ drink bottles and handy pocket guides with information on how to protect yourself from scammers reinforced key community protection messages.
The open day provided an opportunity for ACT Policing and wider AFP members to engage with a large number of people, further strengthening relations with the community and other emergency services.
On Sunday 6 April 2014, Canberra International Airport held an open day, which was attended by 24 000 people.
The AFP display gathered a great deal of the public’s attention, with members from ACT Policing, Aviation and the National Canine Team in attendance.
Constable Kenny Koala engaged with a large number of children and provided cardboard hats and police cars for them to construct.
The AFP presence was well-received by the public, with a large number of people engaging with members, particularly through the interactive displays. The event helped to further enhance communication between police and the community, and strengthen public trust and confidence in their police.
From 4–11 May 2014, ACT Policing took part in National Road Safety Week (NRSW) in partnership with JaCS and our emergency services partners. This was the first year ACT Policing and the broader ACT Government have been involved in NRSW, which aims to highlight the devastation of road death and injury, and encourage everyone to take action to prevent avoidable loss on our roads.
As part of NRSW, the ACT Government partnered with Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH), which held its third National Yellow Ribbon week. The campaign, titled Drive So Others Survive (Drive SOS), focused on protecting all road users who become vulnerable, but especially those whose jobs place them more in harm’s way, including emergency services, road workers, tow-truck and roadside assistance personnel.
The ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mr Simon Corbell, launched the campaign on 5 May, 2014 joined by Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers, Commissioner Emergency Services Agency Dominic Lane, and SARAH founder Peter Frazer. NRMA Group CEO Tony Stuart attended to show support.
An empty shoe display of 132 pairs of shoes represented the lives lost on ACT roads over the past decade. Yellow ribbons were placed on all emergency services and marked police vehicles for the week and iconic Canberra buildings were lit up in yellow to show support.
A comprehensive social media schedule used the ACT Policing, Traffic and Constable Kenny Twitter accounts as well as the ACT Policing Facebook page. A Facebook Forum and a Twitter Talkback session focusing on traffic matters were held during the week, with both enjoying strong community engagement.
Stolen number plates are generally used to commit crimes such as petrol drive-offs, burglaries and traffic offences. The ongoing Safe Plate initiative puts in place preventative measures which will help in decreasing number plate thefts. These offences form part of the ACT Government Property Crime Reduction Strategy.
Held in association with various shopping centres, within a designated car park area, Project Safe Plate invites drivers to have their standard number plate screws replaced with tamper-proof screws provided and fitted for free by ACT Policing members. Each event is held over a four-hour period.
Each Safe Plate event is promoted through radio, print and social media such as the AFP Facebook page, with posters also appearing in police stations and around shopping centres prior to each event.
Stolen number plates are a huge inconvenience for motorists, so these prevention-focused events are also an excellent opportunity for members of the community to meet their local police without having an offence to report.
In the reporting period, Safe Plate events were held at Belconnen, Woden, Tuggeranong, City and Gungahlin with a total of 1835 sets of number plates fitted with the tamper-proof screws.
Leading Senior Constable Kenny Koala attended more than 50 community events and visited 4373 classrooms, speaking with 25 665 students during this reporting period.
Our Constable Kenny Koala Program continued to educate school-aged children on five main safety themes:
Constable Kenny Koala has been a Canberra institution for more than 30 years. Constable Kenny Koala is a community personality within the ACT and is ACT Policing’s educator on safety messages for primary school-aged children.
Playing an active role in the community is a key component of our crime prevention strategy. This approach includes providing community grants, helping community programs and sponsoring initiatives in support of crime prevention.
During the financial year, we worked with a number of stakeholders to provide funding in support of the community.
The power of ‘social’ in new world policing
Rarely does a new communication tool receive such an unexpected test of its relevance as ACT Policing’s new Facebook page after it went live in February.
Just after 2pm on 20 February, ACT Policing received reports of a man stealing a vehicle — which happened to have a seven-month-old baby inside — in Ngunnawal.
ACT Policing put out the call for help through traditional and social media channels, issuing a series of tweets and the first real-time Facebook update since the page was launched the day prior.
In less than an hour, 90 000 people had seen the Facebook posts and almost 2000 shared information, giving ACT Policing the opportunity to witness firsthand the value of social media in a crisis.
By 3.40pm, a member of the public noticed the stolen Mazda and matched the registration to an ACT Policing tweet. This was the crucial tip-off that led officers to the missing child, who was found safe in a capsule on a porch in a neighbouring suburb.
The incident demonstrated the power of social media in getting critical safety information out to the public, and how quickly information can be shared and spread.
ACT Policing has maintained our environmental sustainability principles and practices with the operation and maintenance of our facilities. These include:
In addition, we have a comprehensive recycling program for paper, toner cartridges, metal and fluorescent tubes, and take environmental considerations into account when purchasing office furniture and equipment.
ACT Policing is working in partnership with the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JaCS) to continually review our approach to ESD, particularly in regard to capital works and accommodation.
Many of our facilities were not manufactured to high ESD standards. Together with JaCS, we have developed and implemented a five-year strategic accommodation plan to address the issue. In line with this plan, we have ensured a consistent approach to ESD in recent and future upgrades. As we operate policing services around the clock, our carbon footprint is larger than other agencies.
We have outdated heating and cooling systems, ageing facilities and ineffective lighting. To combat this, recently a strategic plan was implemented at the City Police Station to remove and replace the ageing heating system to provide a more efficient heating solution. In addition, funding has been set aside for the 2014–15 period to upgrade the heating and cooling system at the Winchester Police Centre. These actions will work to reduce our carbon emissions.
ACT Policing consults regularly with JaCS and our facility maintenance providers to plan and promote reduction in gas, power, water and waste by using modern methods and equipment to effectively decrease our carbon dioxide emissions.
* data not available
The ACT Policing Executive for the entire reporting period comprised:
The Chief Police Officer for the ACT is subject to the authority of the Commissioner of the AFP and is responsible to the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services for the delivery of policing services against identified outputs and performance measures detailed in the annual Purchase Agreement (see Appendix 2). The Chief Police Officer is responsible for the management and control of operational decisions, financials, personnel and resources deployed for the purposes of the Policing Arrangement between the Australian and ACT governments (see Appendix 1).
The Deputy Chief Police Officer – Crime is responsible for the management of Criminal Investigations; ACT Policing Intelligence and Crime Reduction; Judicial Operations and the Exhibits Management Centre.
In October 2013, a structural reporting change was implemented by moving the Specialist Response Group (SRG) liaison role from the Crime Portfolio to Emergency Management and Planning within the Response portfolio. In March 2014, the reporting of the Exhibits Management Centre was moved to the Crime portfolio.
For further information about our structural changes refer to Section B.1: Organisational Overview.
The Deputy Chief Police Officer – Response is responsible for the management of ACT Policing Operations; Traffic Operations and Planning including the areas of Traffic, Emergency Management and Planning, Special Response Group Liaison; and North and South districts incorporating Belconnen, City, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong and Woden police stations. See Figure C.1.1 for ACT Policing Patrol zones.
The Director Corporate Services is responsible for the management of the portfolios that deliver enabling services to support frontline policing services to the ACT community. These are Ministerial and Operational Support; Finance and Logistics; Human Resources; and Media and Public Engagement.
See Figure B.1.1 for ACT Policing’s organisational structure.
Senior executive staff (SES) within the AFP are engaged under individual SES employment contracts for periods not exceeding five years. Renewal is at the discretion of the Commissioner.
The remuneration for the senior executive is determined by the AFP Commissioner in accordance with Section 27 of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth) (AFP Act).
Figure C.1.1: ACT Policing Patrol zones
ACT Policing business is managed by four principal committees: Executive Committee, Executive Steering Committee, Business Committee and Operations Committee.
AFP’s Professional Standards (PRS), a dedicated function of the AFP, is the primary mechanism for maintaining integrity and professional standards in the AFP. The standards that apply to all AFP appointees are determined through the following legislation and governing documents:
Professional standards apply to all AFP appointees in Australia, its territories and overseas.
In accordance with the Purchase Agreement (see Appendix 2), ACT Policing reports quarterly to the ACT Government about its complaint management. The reports provide statistics and analytical commentary about complaint data in relation to ACT Policing.
The approach to dealing with breaches of the professional standards of the AFP places an emphasis on resolving complaints in a modern managerial environment. This philosophy is complemented by the AFP’s commitment to the principle of continual learning and development. This approach provides for the:
The AFP’s professional standards model adopts a tiered approach according to the seriousness of the alleged breach:
Complaints dealing with minor breaches (category one and two) of the AFP’s professional standards are managed by line managers, who are best placed to deal with minor misconduct, through the Complaint Management Team (CMT).
More serious matters that may result in employment suitability consideration (category three) are investigated by PRS with oversight from the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
All complaints of corrupt conduct by AFP appointees are referred to ACLEI, which may choose to investigate the complaint, undertake a joint investigation with the AFP or refer the matter back to the AFP.
The ACT Policing CMT consists of a quorum of Officers-in-Charge who manage category one and category two conduct issues involving AFP appointees within their business area. CMT members perform duties on a rotational six-monthly basis and use CRAMS to manage complaints, assign investigators, review categorisation of matters, manage timeliness of investigations, review investigation reports, determine findings, apply outcomes and finalise matters. The chair of the ACT Policing CMT is Coordinator Ministerial and Operational Support Linda Cavanagh.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, PRS received 184 complaints, resulting in 320 alleged conduct breaches being recorded.
The Confidant Network is made up of volunteer, trained AFP appointees who provide information, options and support to other appointees who may be dealing with inappropriate or unethical behaviour in the workplace. There are more than 160 confidants located throughout Australia — including 82 active confidants within ACT Policing — and overseas, who are able to assist members in a confidential environment.
The Confidant Network Coordination Team is available to the Chief Police Officer and other AFP Executive in monitoring or responding to AFP workplace matters.
The AFP is committed to safe working practices, which include all members being free from the effects of prohibited drugs or impairment from use of alcohol or prescription medication. Our members are required to make reasoned, impartial and rapid decisions that affect — sometimes significantly and even irrevocably — the safety, rights and freedoms of members of the community. Therefore, the community and government place considerable faith and trust in law enforcement agencies, conditional at all times on officials exercising their authority and powers reasonably and rationally.
Given our law enforcement role, there is zero tolerance of any AFP appointee who uses illicit drugs and/or is involved in the illegal drug trade. Also, appointees must not be under the effects of alcohol while on duty and must exercise personal responsibility in the appropriate use of any pharmaceutical products. The AFP randomly screens its workforce when on duty for prohibited drugs as defined under the AFP Act which includes opiates, amphetamines, cannabis and cocaine.
The AFP also screens for presence of prohibited drugs in new applicants to positions in the AFP, existing members following a significant operational incident, and appointees when information is received suggesting prohibited drug use. Employees can be randomly screened when on duty for alcohol or screened if there is a reasonable suspicion of the presence of alcohol in their blood. The AFP’s governance requires that the blood alcohol concentration of appointees when on duty is under 0.02.
ACT Policing members are governed by AFP Commissioner’s Order 3 (CO3) in the application of force and maintain all mandatory compliance requirements in reporting and training.
In all cases where one of our members uses force, he or she must, as soon as practicable, submit an electronic Use of Force Report through the Police Real-time Online Management Information System (PROMIS). This includes any situation where the officer:
This does not include a situation when a verbal command is the only force used.
All use of force reports are assessed for compliance with CO3 by the Officer-in-Charge of the respective area.
In addition, the ACT Ombudsman can, and does, seek explanation and statistics around specific use of force incidents and is empowered to make recommendations for the ongoing transparency of use of force recording and reporting process.
Source: PROMIS as at 7 July 2014
The AFP Strategic Risk Profile provides the risk management framework for ACT Policing. This framework includes ACT Policing’s business continuity and security plans and these governance documents help in informing strategic decisions including resource allocation, research, investment and development priorities.
ACT Policing’s risk management processes adhere to the international risk management standard (AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009) and we also conform to AFP policies and processes that apply to risk management.
Risk assessment is inherent in all processes including development of new policy guidelines or the review of existing governance instruments.
Significant risk is identified, monitored and managed through a risk assessment treatment plan. This plan documents and tracks any treatments and residual risk, and the effectiveness of those treatments over time in reducing risk. The ACT Policing Executive maintains oversight of the risk assessment and treatment plan every six months.
The broader AFP strategic risk profile includes broad categories of risk which are monitored by the AFP Strategic Leadership Group annually.
As an operational law enforcement agency, the AFP embraces risk management as an integral part of its business. The AFP’s risk management framework is aligned with international standards and the Comcover Better practice guide. Risk management is embedded within AFP business planning, operations, procurement and contract management, and project management. Risk management also features in the AFP leadership philosophy and is actively considered in internal resource allocation and investment priorities.
During 2013–14, AFP risk management governance was further strengthened with:
The AFP Audit Committee was established by the Commissioner in compliance with section 46 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and regulation 22C of the Financial Management and Accountability Regulations.
As outlined in the AFP Audit Committee Charter, the objective of the committee is to provide independent assurance and assistance to the Commissioner on the AFP’s risk, control and compliance framework, and its financial statement responsibilities.
The committee is authorised by the Commissioner (within the scope of its responsibilities) to:
The AFP Audit Committee comprises at least six members. The Commissioner may appoint other members as is considered appropriate. The committee consisted of nine members at the end of the financial year.
The committee met five times during the financial year. The attendance details are as follows:
| Name of member | Position | Meetings attended |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Wood | Chair | 04/09/13, 11/09/13, 12/03/14, 21/05/14 |
| Michael Phelan | Deputy Chair | 10/12/13, 21/05/14 |
| Ray Johnson | Member | 10/12/13, 12/03/14, 21/05/14 |
| Rudi Lammers | Member | 11/09/13, 10/12/13, 21/05/14 |
| Jenny Morison | Member | 04/09/13, 11/09/13, 10/12/13, 12/03/14, 21/05/14 |
| Tim Morris | Member | 04/09/13, 10/12/13, 21/05/14 |
| Michael Outram | Member | 04/09/13, 11/09/13, 10/12/13, 12/03/14 |
| Glenys Roper | Member | 04/09/13, 11/09/13, 10/12/13, 12/03/14 |
| Mark Walters | Member | 04/09/13, 11/09/13 |
| Kevin Zuccato | Member | 04/09/13, 11/09/13, 10/12/13, 12/03/14, 21/05/14 |
The Commissioner, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer and the Head of Internal Audit may attend meetings as observers. Representatives of the Commonwealth Auditor-General’s Financial Statement Audit and Performance Audit Group have a standing invitation to observe and contribute at all meetings of the Audit Committee.
The AFP Audit Committee has internal audit and risk management functions pursuant to regulation 22C subregulation 4 of the Financial Management and Accountability Regulations 1997. Responsibilities in relation to these functions are contained in the committee’s charter.
The AFP’s management of risk remained a standing agenda item throughout the year and a central element in developing the Audit Plan and Program.
As the community policing arm of the AFP, ACT Policing operates within the AFP Fraud Control and Anti-Corruption Plan. The AFP is committed to managing fraud and corruption risks as part of its everyday business and promotes a culture of ethical conduct and behaviour. The AFP’s Fraud Control and Anti-Corruption Plan and policy statement apply to all appointees, contractors and service providers and are consistent with the AFP’s professional standards framework.
Fraud and corruption risks are reviewed regularly and progress on the implementation of the current plan is monitored by the Strategic Leaders’ Group and the Audit Committee as part of their respective oversight and assurance roles in line with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines 2011 requirement.
The AFP has progressed well on the implementation of its Fraud Control and Anti-Corruption Plan to further strengthen existing fraud and corruption risk controls, particularly in risk prevention and awareness-raising activities.
There was one allegation of fraud made against an ACT Policing appointee during this reporting period. This is subject to an investigation.
For more information about internal accountability see Section C.1: Internal Accountability.
High-visibility kids — a road safety strategy
Traffic Operations is not just about enforcing the road rules and giving traffic fines. It is also about education and awareness to prevent injuries and deaths.
In a Canberra first, ACT Policing teamed up with the ACT Government to deliver a road safety education pilot to primary school students in the Belconnen area during Term Two of 2014.
Constable Kenny Koala’s high-visibility vest program aimed to promote positive road safety behaviours in students.
As part of the new pilot, students received their own high-visibility vest following a presentation with Constable Kenny and were encouraged to wear the vest on their way to and from school.
The launch at Mount Rogers Primary in Melba included a visit by Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers. Chief Police Officer Lammers together with Constable Kenny spoke about the importance of the high-visibility vests and quizzed the students on how to stay safe on the road.
The vests, which include a call-to-action for drivers to ‘Slow down — 40km/h in school zones’ written on the back, not only helped to increase the visibility of students, but also raised awareness of 40km/h school zones, and the responsibility of drivers to slow down in these areas.
ACT Policing was awarded a $10 000 grant from ACT Health to implement the pilot as part of the Ride or Walk to School initiative.
During the reporting period, one inquiry was completed by the Legislative Assembly committees relating to the operations of ACT Policing.
On 9 May 2013, the Legislative Assembly passed a motion by Mr Shane Rattenbury MLA, that the issue of vulnerable road users be referred to the Standing Committee on Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal Services for inquiry. The terms of reference for the inquiry included that recommendations be made to better protect and encourage vulnerable road users in the ACT.
6.18 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct a review of road rules at intersections and assess changes that could be made to existing road rules that would mitigate risks to vulnerable road users.
6.34 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government review the current cycling education programs available in ACT schools and that consideration is given to compulsory cycling training in all ACT primary schools.
6.43 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government closely monitor the traffic conditions at the intersection of Athllon Drive and Beasley Drive [sic] and provide a report to the Assembly by the end of 2014.
6.69 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government introduce awareness programs for cyclists and pedestrians that includes information about off road and shared paths with a particular focus on their responsibilities to share facilities safely with other users.
6.70 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct a review and safety audit of shared paths and undertake modifications to reduce potential risks to users of those shared facilities.
6.95 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct an audit of all pedestrian crossings to assess the safety and suitability of the crossing for the location. It is recommended that, in areas of high pedestrian and cycling activity, consideration should be given to installing shared crossings such as the example in De Burgh Street, Lyneham.
6.96 The Committee recommends that the requirement for cyclists to dismount at pedestrian crossings be amended to enable cyclists to remain on their bikes, but that they must slow to a walking pace prior to entering and when on the crossing.
6.111 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government review the current requirements that motorcycle riders must fulfil to obtain their learner and provisional licences and evaluate their effectiveness to provide novice drivers with adequate skills and training.
6.112 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government provide ongoing funding to the Motorcycle Riders Association of the ACT to subsidise the Mature Aged Skills Transfer course delivered by Stay Upright.
6.130 The Committee recommends that a Vulnerable Road Users brochure be provided to all road users when registration renewals are mailed out. The brochure should include a profile of vulnerable road users and the safety issues that drivers need to be aware of.
6.131 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government establish a consultative group to develop a cyclists’ code of conduct document based on the principles outlined in the Victorian document Sharing roads and paths.
6.152 The Committee recommends that an external audit be conducted on the Territory and Municipal Services Crash Database to evaluate its operation and functionality to ensure it is meeting the needs of all agencies who access its information.
6.153 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government commission a research study to analyse the accuracy of accident data collected.
6.154 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct an awareness raising campaign to advise the ACT community of their obligations to report all accidents, including all single and multiple vehicle accidents. The awareness raising campaign should include providing information when registration renewals are sent out.
7.19 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government consider amending the ACT Road Rules to mandate a minimum overtaking distance of one metre in speed zones 60km/h and below.
7.20 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government consider amending the ACT Road Rules to mandate a minimum overtaking distance of one and a half metres in speed zones above 60km/h.
7.21 The Committee recommends that, when implementing the minimum overtaking distance, the ACT Government develop a comprehensive community awareness and education strategy to inform all road users of the minimum overtaking distance requirements.
7.36 The Committee recommends that the theoretical component of the drivers licence test be amended to place a greater focus on the examination of the road rules and associated issues as they relate to vulnerable road users.
7.37 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government review the 22 driver competencies that must be fulfilled to pass the practical component of the drivers licence test and consider the addition of a competency related to vulnerable road users.
7.47 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government undertake a review of attitudinal components of driver licence testing including current Australian driving tests, scientific literature and international experiences with a view to possible inclusion into ACT driving tests if appropriate.
7.90 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government examine the introduction of a strict liability scheme in the ACT. This examination should assess the impact of the scheme and include an analysis of alternative approaches, such as cascading rebuttable presumption.
7.91 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government present the outcomes from its examination of the introduction of a strict liability scheme in the ACT to the Legislative Assembly by March 2015.
7.106 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government consider implementing a trial of lower speed limits in school zones and, residential areas with high level of pedestrian and cycling activity in close proximity to shared paths.
7.107 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct a review of the speed limit hierarchy across all roads in the ACT.
7.120 The Committee recommends that the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services conduct an evaluation of the trial announced in April 2014 to provide defined separation between cyclists and other traffic. The results of the evaluation should be provided to the Legislative Assembly within three months of completion.
7.133 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct a trial of motorcycle lane filtering and forward-stop boxes in Civic by March 2015. The trial should be independently monitored and evaluated and the results of the trial should be publicly available.
7.153 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct a targeted education campaign to promote the safety benefits of wearing motorcycle protective clothing.
8.12 The Committee recommends that the ACT Road Rules be amended in such a way that motorised mobility scooters are recognised as a separate category.
Submissions to the Inquiry into Vulnerable Road Users were sought by 25 October 2013. However, on 20 March 2014, the Legislative Assembly approved an extension of time for reporting until the last sitting day on 5 June 2014 when the report was tabled. The ACT Government is yet to respond.
ACT Policing will form part of the stakeholder engagement strategy and anticipates assuming a responsibility for implementing agreed recommendations in line with the existing Ministerial Direction, which continues to focus on road safety issues, particularly in relation to antisocial and dangerous driving behaviours.
ACT Policing is privy to ACT and Commonwealth scrutiny matters. The following reports were recorded by ACT Policing during this reporting period.
| Office | Report title | Date tabled |
|---|---|---|
| ACT Ombudsman | Annual Report 2012–13 | 22 October 2013 |
| Commonwealth Ombudsman | Report on Commonwealth Ombudsman’s activities under Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (1 July 2012 – 30 June 2013) | 12 November 2013 (Senate) 13 November 2013 (House of Representatives) |
A Royal affair
Canberra welcomed Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, along with their son, Prince George, during their first official engagement as a young family in April 2014.
The Australian Royal Tour was a highly anticipated event, incorporating extensive planning and a high attention to detail.
ACT Policing, working with a number of other agencies, provided a security envelope and ensured operations ran smoothly throughout the Royals’ stay in Canberra.
The Duke and Duchess began their royal engagements in Canberra with a visit to the National Arboretum. Following their arrival in the ACT Policing motorcade, they greeted the assembled crowd before planting an English oak tree with the help of local six-year-old twins Oliver and Sebastian Lye.
ACT Policing’s duties for the visit concluded with a motorcade onto the tarmac of the Fairbairn Airport. The Duke and Duchess waved farewell to officials and the crowd before their flight departed for London.
ACT Policing is not an ACT Public Service entity for the purposes of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 (ACT).
ACT Policing is part of the AFP which is a Commonwealth agency. The AFP, and all AFP personnel, are subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) which became operational on 15 January 2014.
During the reporting period the AFP did not receive any disclosures relating specifically to ACT Policing.
For information about professional standards and the reporting of complaints see Section C.1: Internal Accountability.
Calling the shots — keeping guns out of criminal hands
Pump-action shotguns, high-powered air rifles and about 3500 rounds of ammunition were just some of the weapons seized during a six-month campaign aimed at getting illicit firearms out of the hands of criminals and off Canberra’s streets.
The ACT Government, with the support of ACT Policing and ACT Crime Stoppers, launched the Illicit Firearms Campaign in October 2013.
The campaign aimed to encourage members of the public to report information regarding illicit firearms to Crime Stoppers and resulted in a significant influx of information reports.
This was achieved through a media launch, marketing activities and social media drive.
The message to the community was that every gun we get off the streets is one less that can be potentially used in a crime. The campaign further reinforced the message that any information regarding firearms could be the missing piece of a puzzle which police a need to remove an illicit firearm off our streets.
As a result of intensive investigations, up to 12 people will face the ACT Magistrates Court on firearm offences.
As a Commonwealth agency, the AFP operates under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act) and requests for information under this Act are managed by the AFP’s Information Access team.
As an agency within the terms of the FOI Act, the AFP is subject to requests for access to documents in its possession. An applicant may request access to, or a copy of, any document held by the AFP. Requests can include administrative and policy documents or any other documentary information including emails, diaries, notebooks or field books related to an investigation or activity of the AFP.
The AFP’s Information Access team falls within the Policy and Governance function of the AFP and is responsible for managing and coordinating requests under the FOI Act. The team is also responsible for:
AFP appointees are required to search for all documents falling within the scope of a request and provide advice to the Information Access team about whether the release of the document is likely to either:
The FOI Act contains strict timelines for requests to be finalised and the AFP is committed to meeting these legislative requirements as an integral part of its business.
The Freedom of Information Amendment (Reform) Act 2010 (Cth) places a responsibility on all Commonwealth agencies to adopt and maintain an Information Publication Scheme (IPS). The scheme places an obligation on agencies to proactively publish certain categories of information. Details of the information categories are outlined in ss. 8(2) of the Act.
Information about the AFP’s IPS can be viewed on the AFP website.
Each quarter, ACT Policing publishes CrimeStatistics — interactive online crime maps at police.act.gov.au — that provides crime statistics by crime type and suburb. A key catalyst for the development of the CrimeStatistics was freedom of information and the IPS.
CrimeStatistics allows ACT Policing to provide raw statistics about homicide, assault, sexual assault, theft, burglary, robbery, motor vehicle theft, property damage and other offences, as well as traffic-related incidents, so that the public has open access to such information with the ability to view trends over time.
Policing often requires a police officer to arrest or detain a person, either for a criminal charge or other matters where they may assist police with inquiries. The rights of the individual under the Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT) (HR Act) are clearly understood by our police officers, who perform their duties in accordance with the directions of the Act and other relevant legislation. ACT Policing understands and fully supports ACT Government’s commitment to the protection of human rights and the dignity of people.
Recognition of this principle is embedded in the introduction of the five-year Policing Arrangement between the Australian and ACT governments and the AFP (see Appendix 1). The Policing Arrangement governs how policing services are delivered to the ACT, through the AFP.
In consultation with the ACT Human Rights Commission, a half-day human rights workshop has been developed for our members. It ensures our sworn members are familiar with the HR Act, associated human rights considerations and other relevant legislation when performing their duties in the ACT.
Human rights training is incorporated into the curriculum for new recruits (through the Federal Policing Development Program) and lateral police development programs. Both programs are delivered by the Learning and Development Team at the AFP College. This training is considered an essential component for all new officers in the ACT, so that they have a complete understanding of their obligations under the HR Act while performing their duties.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, 74 officers completed the human rights workshop.
For more information about our training see Section E.2: Learning and Development.
The HR Act is available for members to access as needed on the AFP intranet.
As an Australian Government agency engaged by the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JaCS), ACT Policing does not develop legislative amendments or Cabinet submissions. However, through JaCS, we review Cabinet submissions relevant to our operations, providing commentary where appropriate.
ACT Policing demonstrates public value in considering the impact of the proposed legislation and any human rights implications on our core business of providing law enforcement and community safety in the ACT. By doing so, ACT Policing contributes to ACT Government’s objectives outlined in The Canberra Plan: Towards Our Second Century (2008 p. 25) by ensuring “Canberrans enjoy the benefits of living in a community that is safe, socially inclusive and respectful of human rights, that all Canberrans are able to fully participate in community life and that the most vulnerable in our community are respected and supported.”
We are not aware of any matters before the court which have involved arguments concerning ACT Policing and the HR Act.
As the community policing arm of the AFP, ACT Policing does not have a records management plan in the form required under the Territory’s legislation. AFP records are managed primarily in accordance with the Commonwealth Archives Act 1983 and the AFP follows strict protocols in relation to the creation, capture, storage and destruction of records, particularly those records used for evidentiary or investigation purposes.
Our records are managed in accordance with specific record-keeping obligations, governed by the following legislation:
The AFP adopts the following standards for records management:
The AFP’s National Guideline on the Management of Records and Practical Guide on records disposal using Normal Administrative Practice set out the procedures AFP personnel, contractors and consultants must follow in managing official AFP information. Both documents are published on the AFP website as part of the Information Publication Scheme (IPS).
Records are available for inspection through the IPS, Freedom of Information Disclosure Log or via a freedom of information process managed by the AFP Information Access team.
Further information is available under Section D.2: Freedom of Information.
Records management training is provided to all AFP employees during the mandatory AFP Induction Program. In addition, resources are available from the Records Management Unit Help Desk and on the AFP intranet.
The AFP is compliant with the National Archives of Australia records disposal freeze on records affecting the rights and entitlements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
| Records authorities | Effective | Year and number |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Federal Police | 8 August 2007 | 2006/00446344 |
| Australian Federal Police (Criminal Records) | April 2010 | 2010/00191393 |
ACT Policing complies with the Model Litigant Policy under the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth), and abides by the legal service directions issued by the Australian Government Attorney-General.
There were no breaches of the Commonwealth Model Litigant Policy in relation to any matters involving ACT Policing during this reporting period.
Keeping drugs off the street: a community-led approach
L ate one afternoon, detectives swooped on a home in Isabella Plains and executed a search warrant. Locked away in backyard shed, police found almost 20 cannabis plants, housed in an elaborate hydroponic system spanning three rooms.
The seizure, assisted by a tip-off from a Crime Stoppers call, was just one of a number of successful warrants ACT Policing executed as part of its illicit drugs campaign.
The three-month campaign was aimed at educating the public on signs of drug manufacturing and production. This was achieved through the media, marketing activities and a mock drug house set-up in Civic launching the campaign.
The message was simple: there are signs people need to be aware of, and if people notice suspicious activity in their neighbourhood, police want to know about it.
The message translated to a 150 per cent increase in the number of manufacturing or cultivation reports and almost doubled the drug dealing and supply reports to Crime Stoppers, compared to the same time last year.
As the community policing arm of the AFP, ACT Policing is not subject to the Dangerous Substances Act 2004 (ACT).
The AFP has not been issued with any infringement notices of non-compliance relating to dangerous substances or poisons during the 2013–14 reporting period under any of the relevant Commonwealth legislation.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, we contributed to the ACT Strategic Bushfire Management Plan through the ACT Government’s Security and Emergency Management Planning Group.
ACT Policing is not a manager nor an owner of unleased Territory land so we do not have reporting requirements under section 85 of the Emergency Act 2004 (ACT).
ACT Policing has not been notified of the requirement to prepare a Bushfire Operational Plan by the Emergency Services Agency or received any directions from the Minister for Police and Emergency Services relating to undertaking activities under the ACT Strategic Bushfire Management Plan.
ACT Policing has not received any requests for assistance in the preparation of the State of the Environment Report or been subject to any investigations by the Commissioner during the 2013–14 reporting period.
The ACT Policing Human Resources (HR) team is responsible for the effective management of the ACT Policing workforce through the provision of a diverse range of support and guidance to ACT Policing members and stakeholders. Areas of responsibility include workforce planning and reporting, recruitment, rostering, general human resources advice, rehabilitation support and work health and safety advice.
ACT Policing HR has a dedicated Workforce Reporting Team (WRT) which supports strategic planning, through the provision of detailed monthly reports to the ACT Policing Executive. The WRT is responsible for tracking workforce numbers, including through recruitment actions and the rotation and transfer of ACT Policing employees into the wider AFP in response to requests for personnel at short notice for major unforeseen events. Reports produced by the WRT provide a clear picture of the current and future workforce profile, which is an important instrument for strategic planning. The WRT also works closely with the AFP’s National Workforce Planning and Analytics Team.
ACT Policing HR is responsible for the management of internal recruitment processes used for the transfer and advancement of existing employees, as well as external recruitment for unsworn employees within ACT Policing. The National AFP HR Recruitment Team holds responsibility for the bulk recruitment processes used to identify suitable candidates to undertake a Federal Police Development Program (FPDP). During these bulk selection processes, candidates are required to undergo a rigorous program of testing and selection, based on academic and physical aptitude, determination and resilience. Only those candidates who reach the required benchmarks in all areas will ultimately be offered a position to undertake an FPDP as a base recruit.
Base recruits attend a 25-week live-in training program to undertake the Diploma of Public Safety (Policing) qualification. Prior to receiving their qualification, members will spend around 12 months on the job demonstrating an array of practical competencies.
During this reporting period, a total of 65 recruits attested from three FPDPs and nine members with previous policing experience in other jurisdictions attested the Federal Police Lateral Program.
Within the 2013–14 reporting period, the AFP implemented a number of high-level recruiting principles to manage staffing numbers in response to the fiscal environment and lower than average attrition levels. These principles included a direction that all portfolios must meet their budgeted full-time equivalent and source internal candidates over external candidates where vacancies must be filled.
Since their introduction, we have applied the high-level guiding principles to all recruitment activities. This has included a requirement for all business areas to review and justify their requirement to fill a vacant role and in some cases this has resulted in more resourceful and efficient ways of doing business. The measures have presented some significant challenges for ACT Policing, particularly in the requirement to fill specialist roles where suitable applicants are generally sourced from outside of the organisation. In response to this, we have looked for candidates from less traditional sources. This has included consideration of internal candidates who can demonstrate most of the role requirements, and with extra training support and mentoring could fully perform the roles within a short timeframe.
In line with provisions in the AFP Enterprise Agreement 2012–16and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), ACT Policing actively supports requests from employees seeking flexible work practices. Individual requests can range from employees seeking part-time hours, condensed working weeks, variations to start times and working from home arrangements. While it is often challenging to balance these individual requests against business needs in an operational environment, we recognise the positive impact that supporting these arrangements can have on attraction, engagement and retention of employees.
During this reporting period, ACT Policing maintained the operation of the Flexible Work Team at Woden Station following its successful trial in early 2013. This team is designed to support members wishing to undertake flexible work options while still working in a frontline policing environment. The development of this team over the past 12 months has contributed to a revised approach in how flexible work arrangements can contribute and be effectively used in an operational policing environment.
A safe summer is a good summer
A lcohol-related crime is an ongoing priority for ACT Policing, as it continues to place unnecessary financial, social and health burdens on the community.
Historically, summer in the ACT means an increase in traffic, parties and nightlife, as people celebrate events such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve. This inevitably leads to an increase in alcohol-related incidents and arrests.
Last summer, ACT Policing launched its 2013–14 Safe Summer campaign, promoting safe attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol and partying, road use and personal safety.
To ensure partygoers were aware of a zero tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour, ACT Policing combined high-visibility patrols with an awareness and education campaign that included various public engagement events, advertising, promotional products, social media and web.
Increased police presence in the city by the Regional Targeting Team and collaboration with pubs, clubs and liquor licence regulators played a key role in the success of the campaign.
ACT Policing has a Workforce Management Committee (WMC) that ensures a coordinated and consultative approach is taken to the management of employee mobility within ACT Policing, as well as mobility of employees between ACT Policing and other areas of the AFP. The WMC considers all requests for transfers, and in making decisions the WMC aims to ensure resources are kept at optimal levels to meet ACT Policing operational requirements.
The mobility of resources in and out of ACT Policing supports the overall development of members through the experience they gain in a range of policing roles, providing the ability to maintain a refreshed workforce. This enables ACT Policing to keep a stable number of resources across different experience levels. The WMC also ensures that the personal preferences and career aspirations of individual members are balanced with the broader operational requirements of ACT Policing.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, ACT Policing developed and implemented a new patrol roster following feedback from the ACT Policing 2012–13 Roster Review Project. The new roster for patrol came into effect on 12 September 2013 and the main features include:
Since the implementation of the new roster there has been positive feedback received from members, including about the overlap of resources on weekends and other peak periods, the absence of 12-hour shifts and the inclusion of Regional Training days.
The Regional Training days are a new concept. Previously, training days were managed by team leaders and the activities undertaken varied significantly with regard to relevance and delivery.
The intent for the new Regional Training days was for each team member to be subject to consistent information that will help them perform their operational duties. This is facilitated through an agreed agenda as set by the Response Superintendents and includes training needs identified by Response members.
ACT Policing provides work health and safety (WHS) support services through our Rehabilitation Case Managers and Health and Safety Advisor. During this reporting period, a number of injury prevention strategies were undertaken including risk assessments, WHS awareness training and first aid training. Our Rehabilitation Case Managers continued to implement the Early Intervention program to appropriate cases. This program allocates funding for minor treatment where employees are displaying the early signs of an injury or illness. The aim of the program is to manage injuries at the earliest stage to prevent the condition worsening, which often eliminates the need for a compensation claim to be submitted.
ACT Policing employees can seek advice and support through a range of other services including welfare, employee assistance, psychological counselling and chaplaincy support. ACT Policing’s Welfare Officers provide support to members on a variety of matters, including critical incidents, personal matters, and as an initial support contact for the provision of further assistance. These roles are performed by police officers and provide 24/7 access for ACT Policing members.
The AFP has a Confidant Network, which is a group of trained appointees (confidants) who provide information, options and support to other appointees (clients) when dealing with inappropriate or unethical behaviour in their work environment.
For more information see Section E.3: Work Health and Safety.
ACT Policing monitors the performance of Band 1–8 employees through the AFP’s Performance Development Agreement (PDA) tool. The role of the PDA is to provide a shared understanding of what good performance looks like and how it relates to business outputs. In addition, the PDA helps to identify individual development needs, encourages regular feedback on performance against objectives, instils leadership practices and ensures complaints are managed effectively.
ACT Policing HR actively supports employees and their supervisors throughout the PDA process with advice and guidance about the PDA system and performance management principles.
During the reporting period, the AFP established the Performance Management Unit with the aim of promoting a culture of effective people management. In an environment with restricted mobility and recruitment, the performance of individuals can be highlighted.
ACT Policing HR has worked closely with the Performance Management Unit to provide practical and consistent advice on complex performance management processes.
The AFP Graduate Program is an entry-level initiative that introduces graduates to a variety of experiences in the unsworn AFP environment. Recruitment of graduates is targeted to meet the needs of AFP business areas while also ensuring individual graduates can rotate through a number of areas relevant to their degrees.
ACT Policing has supported the AFP Graduate Program during this reporting period by hosting 12 rotations in a mix of corporate and operational functions.
During this reporting period, ACT Policing has hosted the placement of six trainees from the AFP’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traineeship Program. During the program, trainees receive professional development and exposure to a range of ACT Policing roles including Intelligence, Crime Reduction, Judicial Operations and Exhibit Management Centre. Four of the six trainees completed a six-week training course in ACT Policing Operations which enabled them to gain a working knowledge of police powers, policies, procedures, the Police Real-time Online Management Information System (PROMIS), and Computer Aided Dispatch. These trainees have since undertaken a three-month rotation in ACT Policing Operations to use the skills developed during the training, including responding to calls for police assistance, Crime Stoppers and, after a period of time, Triple Zero (000).
During this reporting period, ACT Policing provided permanent positions for three of the trainees who successfully completed the 2012 traineeship program. These trainees are now performing full-time roles in ACT Policing Operations and the Exhibit Management Centre.
ACT Policing aims to ensure our workforce is reflective of the community that we serve. Our workforce planning, recruitment and retention strategies recognise the need to promote differences in the workplace, with a focus on how these differences contribute to effective policing.
The diversity of the Australian community will continue to increase. The AFP as a whole must respond in terms of meeting operational responsibilities and ensuring that the workforce is reflective of the community.
The AFP Workforce Plan 2012–2015 notes that in striving to achieve a more diverse workforce, diversity must be defined in its broadest definition. This means going beyond the traditional categories to incorporate broader aspects of diversity such as cognitive style, disability (mental, learning, physical), economic background, education, geographic background, language, parental status, work experience, physical appearance, political affiliation and sexual orientation.
In keeping with policy cycles, the AFP Workforce Diversity Action Plan 2010–12 is under review.
For many members of the ACT community, their interaction with ACT Policing is limited to exposure at major events such as Skyfire, the Royal Canberra Show and Summernats.
ACT Policing ensures that an appropriate number of police resources are available for community events and their presence ensures that the community can enjoy these events with confidence that their safety is considered a high priority by the event organisers and ACT Policing.
For more information about community engagement see Section B.3: Community Engagement and Support.
Within this reporting period, ACT Policing HR has worked with AFP National HR to contribute to a range of initiatives and projects. This has included membership and input to Program Atlas (the Integrated Human Resource Management System project) and the AFP Mobility Working Group.
Program Atlas was established by National Manager, Human Resources, to design, develop and implement a fit-for-purpose, integrated HR management system which will meet the needs of the AFP from operational, corporate and legal compliance perspectives. The outcome will be an integrated HR management system that supports AFP employees and the Executive across the AFP’s Human Capital Management Framework. ACT Policing has contributed to the initial phase of Program Atlas through participation in workshops and feedback sessions to map and design best practice HR processes.
The AFP Mobility Working Group has been established to examine processes and procedures surrounding mobility, assess their effectiveness and recommend improvements to enable desired mobility outcomes throughout the AFP. ACT Policing HR is an active member of the working group, providing subject matter knowledge on how mobility is managed within ACT Policing and contributing to improve the management of mobility between ACT Policing and the wider AFP.
ACT Policing HR has facilitated training in relation to AFP HR initiatives. This has included training ACT Policing employees in the use of Nakisa, the AFP’s new organisational structure display tool and the provision of anti-bullying workshops to ACT Policing employees. The anti-bullying workshops are designed to ensure employees and supervisors have appropriate training and knowledge to identify behaviour that constitutes bullying, where to seek advice and employer and employee responsibilities.
Also, we work closely with all AFP National HR teams to facilitate cross-skilling, enhanced communication, professional networks and information sharing between the two areas. This has included the sharing of HR resources between AFP National HR and ACT Policing HR, with short-term rotations and permanent transfers during the reporting period.
During this reporting period, there has been a focus on improving the AFP’s ability to quickly mobilise and deploy the workforce in response to changing priorities. This means we need multiskilled employees who are able to operate across multiple roles. ACT Policing is committed to assisting the AFP in achieving a mobile workforce. We contribute to this aim by facilitating employee movements to and from AFP National and providing short-term resources for national responses where possible.
The continued facilitation of temporary and permanent movements in and out of ACT Policing can be a difficult balance, exacerbated by internal competition for resources, fiscal constraints and the lack of skilled and qualified employees to deploy in a surge capacity. ACT Policing ensures any decisions made regarding movements are based on our ability to maintain the workforce to provide an effective policing service to the ACT, as well as ensuring members are given opportunities to develop skills in multiple operational areas which enhance ACT Policing and the AFP’s overall capability profile.
The secondment of members to the wider AFP gives our sworn officers a unique opportunity to experience national and international operations and develop a broader policy and law enforcement knowledge base.
In addition to routine transfers during this reporting period, ACT Policing facilitated the deployment of 34 sworn members to assist with Operation DUVAL (escort duties on Christmas Island, Darwin, Manus Island and Nauru), Operation ETON (public order management on Christmas Island) and other external territories (Jervis Bay, Norfolk Island, Cocos Island). ACT Policing facilitated the transfer of 15 members at short notice to positions in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne in response to national staffing priorities in AFP Crime Operations.
The AFP’s Professional Standards (PRS) function is responsible for the AFP’s Integrity Framework and operates in a balanced model which focuses on prevention, detection, response and investigation, as well as continuous improvement.
ACT Policing works closely with PRS to embed professional standards and ethical practices in our workforce. During this reporting period, ACT Policing introduced a new Professional Standards Implementation Officer (PRSIO) position. The PRSIO manages the interaction between Professional Standards and ACT Policing. The role involves the delivery of training and messaging to members regarding the AFP’s values and integrity expectations. The PRSIO is required to fulfil the role of Secretariat for the ACT Complaint Management Team, assisting Investigation Officers in the management of complaints and the application of outcomes.
In addition, we regularly transfer ACT Policing members to PRS for a two-year period to provide exposure to the PRS model and reporting requirements. During this period, six ACT Policing members were transferred to PRS. During their two-year transfer these members will develop extra skills in internal investigations and gain a much greater understanding and appreciation of our core values and the role PRS plays in ensuring our organisation maintains its focus on integrity.
For more information about Professional Standards see Section C.1: Internal Accountability.
We continue to maintain strong relationships with NSW Police through the Monaro and Yass Local Area Commands, allowing for effective responses to cross-border situations.
During the reporting period, 54 ACT Policing officers were sworn in as NSW Police Force Recognised Law Enforcement Officers to allow them to exercise state powers.
The AFP facilitated the swearing in of 43 NSW police officers as AFP Special Members under section 40E of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979, allowing them access to specific AFP powers.
The AFP Learning and Development portfolio within AFP HR provides personal and professional development opportunities to all AFP employees including ACT Policing. Training and development programs are advertised regularly throughout the year and interested employees are required to submit an application. Applications are then considered by the Operations Committee process to ensure that all employees have an equal opportunity to participate in a variety of training courses to develop skills in mandatory and desirable areas.
ACT Policing provides internal training programs to support ongoing capability and specialist skills; for example, mental health training, motorcycle pursuit, first aid training and work health and safety training.
The development of sworn members within ACT Policing is additionally supported by the WMC. The WMC considers the personal career aspirations and current skill profile of members when making decisions regarding placements within ACT Policing or releases to broader organisational opportunities. The WMC process aims to provide development opportunities for members in a broad range of operational areas, while also ensuring that critical skill gaps are decreased across the workforce.
More information about the approach to enhancing skills and capabilities in ACT Policing including the full list of courses undertaken can be found in Section E.2: Learning and Development.
In 2008, ACT Policing Executive established a requirement to introduce a formal process to expose sworn team leaders (Sergeants) to a broader range of policing disciplines. It was anticipated that this strategy would complement formal training and the practical application of new skills, to deliver a professional, experienced and capable leadership team to ACT Policing.
In early 2014, consideration was given to ways in which ACT Policing could more effectively balance operational requirements with the development needs of Sergeants. A working group was established to review the model and the new Band 6–7 Workforce Management Framework was rolled out in June 2014. The framework will facilitate the movement of Band 6–7 team leaders to meet operational requirements within ACT Policing, while ensuring succession planning, appropriate tenure within positions and team leader development in line with the AFP Leadership Philosophy.
The AFP Leadership Philosophy defines the essential elements of leadership and is used to drive actions and commitment to invest in developing leadership at all levels throughout the AFP. The core elements of the AFP Leadership Philosophy are character, courage and collaboration. The philosophy highlights the importance of seeking out and taking advantage of learning opportunities in the workplace.
During the reporting period, nine team leaders attended the Leadership on the Frontline workshops. This program is aimed at substantive team leaders to give them an understanding of the AFP’s expectations, the skills and capability required to be an effective team leader, and the opportunity to develop and practise those skills.
ACT Policing facilitated the attendance of 69 Constables on the Constable Development Program. During the program, participants undertook a number of practical scenarios, oral presentations and exams to build leadership through the consolidation and enhancement of core policing knowledge and skills. The Coordinator Finance and Logistics was a course mentor for this program.
ACT Policing provides a tailored mental health training package which is considered to be best practice in Australia and has been academically reviewed and recognised by Charles Sturt University. The training package aims to improve our response to people in our community living with a mental illness, and to improve interoperability between agencies to enhance a whole-of-government approach.
During this reporting period, 138 operational members attended the training. These members are now equipped with a heightened ability to provide early identification and intervention for those members of the community who experience mental health issues.
All AFP employees with police powers must remain current in operational safety by completing an annual Operational Safety Assessment. This training focuses on providing skills to execute police powers while using a range of options to establish the member’s own safety, the safety of their colleagues and the safety of the public.
A total of 724 ACT Policing members were re-qualified during the 2013–14 reporting period.
The Volunteers in Policing (VIP) Program began in December 2001 and operates within the portfolio of South District. The program has 25 approved active roles and continues to go from strength to strength.
Since its inception, the VIP Program has added value to ACT Policing’s effectiveness and capacity to meet our KPIs. The achievements attained during the reporting period clearly demonstrate the program’s effectiveness through the ongoing provision of high-level cost-neutral support services to the organisation.
In August 2013, 11 Police Volunteers successfully completed their induction training course, taking the number of Police Volunteers to 51 (24 female and 27 male). The ages of the Police Volunteers range from 43 to 82.
Police Volunteers are now fully integrated into ACT Policing operations. The retention rate of Police Volunteers in the program remains in excess of 90 per cent.
This reporting period has been busy for the VIP Program, through the provision of support to numerous areas and events within ACT Policing, including:
The latter support role has been enhanced through the addition of a new Livescan machine in October 2013. This new technology has improved the quality of prints and speed of operation.
The high level of demand for the VIP Program’s services is further demonstrated by the fact that in the 12 months to 30 June 2014, the VIP Program provided 19 388 hours. This represents an overall total of 161 538 voluntary hours undertaken by Police Volunteers since the VIP Program began.
During the reporting period, 10 Police Volunteers were sworn in as Justices of the Peace (JP), taking the number of JP Police Volunteers to 42. During the reporting period, the JPs witnessed and certified 131 974 documents for ACT Policing and members of the public, representing an increase of 30.3 per cent, demonstrating the continued effectiveness of JP Volunteers in their support to ACT Policing and the wider community.
In May 2014, police volunteer Sandra Malnar was named Volunteer of the Year in the individual section of the Emergency Services Category. Sandra joined the VIP Program in 2007 and has provided more than 2600 voluntary hours.
Making a difference through basketball
Since 2011, not-for-profit organisation Big Bang Ballers has been engaging at-risk people aged 14–25 in the Night Hoops basketball program.
On Saturday nights, young Canberrans gather to not only play a game of basketball but also to learn life skills such as teamwork, conflict resolution and goal setting.
Leading Senior Constable Peter Maddocks from the Crime Reduction Unit has been volunteering at Night Hoops for the past year. Initially he attended in his own time but when he saw the positive influence the program was having, he realised it was an opportunity for ACT Policing to engage with a historically hard-to-reach audience.
With some of the participants coming from countries where there is a genuine fear of police, this proved to be a valuable exercise in reinforcing in them that police in the ACT are there to support them.
ACT Policing delivers a broad range of courses to our own members. This training is essential in ensuring we create a safer and more secure ACT.
Much of the training done by our members revolves around enhancing operational capacity, leadership in decision-making and providing up-to-date information. Training is undertaken to enhance the functional and managerial capability of employees, including training in the areas of business management, administration and executive leadership.
All of our members have access to the online training packages via iAspire on the AFP intranet and can select from a wide range of topics.
ACT Policing HR coordinated the following courses during the reporting period.
ACT Policing funds 48 of the positions in the SRG structure to provide capabilities such as maritime, tactical intelligence, police negotiators, a bomb response team and tactical response teams.
Table E.2.2 below includes training undertaken by all SRG members in the reporting period. While the 48 positions are available to ACT Policing on a day-to-day basis, the broader SRG capabilities are available to ACT Policing as required.
As part of the Human Resources portfolio, Learning and Development’s primary role is to design and deliver learning programs and to help coordinate and manage organisational and individual learning needs.
The Learning and Development Management Team is responsible for the learning and development needs of the AFP. The courses below were delivered by Learning and Development to meet specific training requirements for ACT Policing.
The AFP provides the AFP Tertiary Study Assistance Scheme to assist employees develop their vocational and educational knowledge and skills to meet the current and future demands of their roles and the AFP. Twenty-six members participated in the scheme which provides study leave and/or study grants.
The future direction of our learning and development in supporting ACT Policing has a strong focus on the operational development of our members. Future learning and development priorities aim to enhance skills, address capability gaps and meet the ongoing development needs of the workforce.
Foundation investigative interviewing training has been identified as a priority. This training aims to provide all sworn members with interviewing skills to carry out policing functions. The AFP Board of Studies has formally endorsed this training as part of a three-level investigative interviewing framework being adopted across the AFP. The framework meets the organisational need for varying levels of interviewing skills and progressive development and is a sustainable pathway which meets the mobility requirements of training staff.
The Immediate Action Rapid Deployment training package was designed to increase the policing capability and capacity to respond to an active shooter scenario. This package aims to train sworn members in their response to active armed offenders or active shooter incidents which have been identified as a real threat to Australia. This package combines an online component via iAspire and a three-day practical component.
Fostering community partnerships during ACT Mental Health Week
As part of ACT Mental Health Week in October 2013, more than 50 ACT Policing, ambulance and health professionals gathered to share stories and discuss issues surrounding support for mental health consumers in the community.
During the event, participants heard from well-known NRL player David Shillington about the Silence is Deadly campaign which aims to create a dialogue in Canberra about mental health. Martin Fisk from Menslink and under 20s up-and-coming player Jeff Lynch spoke about their personal experiences and spread the message about speaking to someone about your problems and not bottling them up.
The event aimed to create a relaxed atmosphere to speak openly about and decrease the stigma around mental health issues with first responders.
Participating in weeks such as this is an important strategy for ACT Policing, helping to foster a supportive work environment to help members to support those in the community who have a mental illness.
The event also highlighted positive results achieved through the Mental Health Community Policing Initiative, a joint initiative with ACT Policing and ACT Mental Health launched in June 2011. Since its inception, more than 3000 referrals have been made to the initiative and the rate of referrals has been steadily increasing.
As a frontline policing service, we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all AFP employees to build a stronger, healthier and more resilient workforce.
The Work Health Safety and Rehabilitation Team facilitates the continuous improvement of health and safety management systems and helps to reduce the risk and incidence of workplace injury and illness. The team takes a multidisciplinary approach to supporting all AFP employees with an emphasis on education and prevention in line with the AFP Strategic Plan, Risk Management Framework and AFP Workforce Plan 2013–15.
The Work Health Safety and Rehabilitation Team strives to increase productivity, health and wellbeing of AFP staff through:
At 30 June 2014, there were 22 elected health and safety representatives within ACT Policing.
ACT Policing is subject to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) (WHS Act) and continues to meet its obligations for the health and safety of all ACT Policing employees in accordance with the WHS Act.
The AFP National Guideline on health and safety management arrangements (HSMA) is the primary document for compliance under the WHS Act. This National Guideline continues to be revised and updated to reflect new obligations under the WHS Act.
A number of injury prevention initiatives were undertaken during the 2013–14 reporting period. This included risk assessments for a number of business areas within ACT Policing including the Exhibit Management Centre. These risk assessments have identified specific hazards within these areas and appropriate risk mitigation strategies have been introduced to reduce the risk of injury to ACT Policing members.
The provision of an in-house workstation assessment program for ACT Policing staff was beneficial. Fifty-five workstation assessments were done during the reporting period.
Ongoing work health and safety (WHS) awareness sessions were conducted for ACT Policing General Duties members during the 2013–14 reporting period. The initial program of WHS awareness sessions focused on asbestos awareness for operational members. More than 220 members have attended these sessions.
Ongoing staff training in first aid continued through the 2013–14 reporting period, with 302 staff receiving training in first aid.
Injury management strategies undertaken include the commencement of a fully funded early intervention policy. Early intervention has been applied to a number of relevant cases where a work-related injury has occurred. It is based on the guiding principle that the negative effects of a work-related injury or illness on the individual and the department can be minimised by early and appropriate management.
ACT Policing managed 19 early intervention cases during the 2013–14 reporting period. The early intervention policy covers reasonable medical treatment with medical practitioners, physiotherapy sessions, psychological counselling and tests such as ultrasounds or x-rays. The policy is not intended to provide cover for members who suffer non-work-related injuries.
The adoption of the early intervention policy over the reporting period has the potential to reduce the Comcare premium for ACT Policing over the long term.
In accordance with the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth), the <em>AFP Health & Safety Management Arrangements 2012–16</em> and other relevant AFP guidelines and procedures, the ACT Policing Rehabilitation Team is responsible for coordinating internal and external rehabilitation services for members who have suffered compensable or non-compensable injuries and illnesses.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, 26 compensation claims from ACT Policing members were submitted to Comcare. Of these, 14 related to injuries sustained during the reporting period and 12 were submitted with injury dates outside the reporting period. Comcare has determined liability for all 26. Four claims are for psychological conditions and 22 claims are related to physical injuries. The Rehabilitation Case Managers continue to liaise with external rehabilitation providers and medical practitioners to ensure that injured workers are receiving the appropriate management of their claims and ensure a safe and durable return to pre-injury duties.
ACT Policing is managing 96 active claims as at 30 June 2014, compared with 130 at the same time last year. The ACT Policing Rehabilitation Case Managers are committed to implementing suitable strategies which promote the effective rehabilitation of all employees, including all compensable and non-compensable conditions. During the 2013–14 reporting period, there were six non-compensable cases managed by the Rehabilitation Case Managers, to assist members with early management of their medical conditions.
ACT Policing processed three invalidity retirement cases for the 2013–14 reporting period — two cases of physical illness and one case of psychological illness.
ACT Policing members are not required to notify accidents/incidents in accordance with part 3 section 38 of the WHS Act. ACT Policing fulfils our reporting obligations for notifiable incidents to Comcare.
Two accident/incident reports were lodged with Comcare during the 2013–14 reporting period. (This does not include non-individual or Redevelopment Unit contractors.) Neither incident resulted in lost time of one day or more.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, a Provisional Improvement Notice (PIN) was served on ACT Policing by the City Station Designated Work Group Health and Safety Representative. The PIN was served in regard to an issue of staffing numbers for the City Beats Teams.
The PIN was addressed through the implementation of a new Regional Targeting Team. The implementation of this new team has resulted in more consistent staffing levels within the City Beats Team during the busy shifts of Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The PIN was subsequently withdrawn by the Health and Safety Representative.
ACT Policing was not issued with an improvement, prohibition or nondisturbance notice under part 10 the WHS Act during the 2013–14 reporting period. No enforceable undertakings were issued against ACT Policing under part 11 of the WHS Act during the reporting period.
The AFP is developing targets in relation to the reduction of fatalities, musculoskeletal injuries and lost-time injury claims.
ACT Policing members between Bands 1 and 8 are covered by the AFP Enterprise Agreement 2012–2016.
Executive-level members within ACT Policing are covered by the conditions of the AFP Executive Level Enterprise Agreement 2011.
There were no members of ACT Policing with a Special Employment Agreement or with an Australian Workplace Agreement during the 2013–14 reporting period.
A general voluntary redundancy (VR) program, based on identified efficiencies through restructuring, was opened to all ongoing AFP staff on 5 May 2014. AFP employees were able to submit expressions of interest for a VR during this reporting period and offers are expected to be made early in the next reporting period.
The AFP VR Program will not affect ACT Policing sworn staffing levels or its capacity to deliver frontline operations.
New workplace bullying laws came into operation on 1 January 2014, which included changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (ACT) to enable allegations of bullying in the workplace to be considered by the Fair Work Commission. A bullying and harassment presentation was developed to capture these changes and will be presented to all Patrol members during their Regional Training days in the next reporting period.
The Industrial Relations Team in conjunction with Learning and Development is developing a training program which will be available via the AFP online training system. This training will be mandatory for all AFP employees to complete in the next reporting period.
During this reporting period, a Performance Management Unit was established and made available to:
The overall headcount for ACT Policing has remained consistent since the last reporting period. At 30 June 2014, there were 708 sworn members in ACT Policing and about 20 per cent of those members were female. The number of women in Sergeant and Superintendent roles has remained stable since the last reporting period.
The majority of the workforce is aged between 25 and 44 years; 72 per cent of members are in this age group.
Reported full-time equivalent (FTE) figures are higher than headcounts due to the inclusion of enabling FTE (101). This is a notional FTE which represents the services provided by the broader AFP in the delivery of community policing services to the ACT. These services include extra support received by Human Resources, Information Technology, Professional Standards, Legal, Learning and Development and Forensics. Enabling FTE includes sworn and unsworn members. A joint enabling rebasing review began in 2013–14 and is anticipated to be completed in the next reporting period.
Both headcount and FTE figures exclude members who are unpaid non-operational. This includes all members who are on leave, not paid by ACT Policing. Also excluded from FTE calculations are personnel working on Commonwealth matters. Numbers are not whole personnel, as individuals are attributed on the basis of the percentage of time they spend on ACT Policing activities, recorded as at final pay for the 2013–14 financial year.
These figures are based on substantive ranks and do not include periods of higher duties.
| Female | Male | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time equivalent | 342.66 | 631.75 | 974.41 |
| Headcount | 310 | 615 | 925 |
| Percentage of workforce (based on headcount) | 34% | 66% | 100% |
| Age group | Female | Male | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | 9 | 29 | 38 |
| 25–34 | 134 | 231 | 365 |
| 35–44 | 99 | 206 | 305 |
| 45–54 | 51 | 113 | 164 |
| 55 and over | 17 | 36 | 53 |
Note:
| Generation | Birth years covered | Generation | Birth years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre–Baby Boomers | prior to 1946 | Generation X | 1965 to 1979 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946 to 1964 | Generation Y | from 1980 and onwards |
| Female | Male | All | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average years of service | 8.27 | 9.21 | 8.89 |
Note: Employees may identify with more than one of the diversity groups.
ACT Policing seeks to keep the peace and preserve public safety within the ACT. We provide community policing services for an agreed price, as part of the Policing Arrangement (see Appendix 1) and the annual Purchase Agreement (see Appendix 2).
The Policing Arrangement notes that community policing services will include preservation of the peace and good order, the prevention and detection of crime, the protection of persons from injury or death, and the protection of property from damage.
For information about risk management see Section C.2: Risk Management and Internal Audit.
The following financial information is based on audited Financial Reports for 2012–13 and 2013–14.
While our fiscal decisions supported a continued strong financial position during 2013–14, increased employee costs associated with operational activity and a higher than anticipated 2013–14 Comcare premium have contributed to a loss of $1.5 million, or a variance against total revenue of 1 per cent. These costs were unable to be offset within the financial year.
Total revenue received by the AFP for the provision of policing services to the ACT was $159.5 million. This represented an increase of $7.5 million, or 5 per cent compared with the previous financial year (2012–13). The major factors in this increase was funding for the effects of the 2012–16 AFP Enterprise Agreement and reimbursement of costs associated with the Eastman Inquiry.
Total expenditure amounted to $161.0 million, which is up $11.3 million, or 7 per cent. The increase in expenditure relates to employee costs and legal costs associated with the Eastman Inquiry. The legal costs associated with the Eastman Inquiry were reimbursed.
Annual financial statements for the reporting period, accompanied by the Auditor-General’s independent audit report, can be found at Appendix 4: Financial Statements and Statement of Performance.
Annual financial statements for the 2013–14 reporting period, accompanied by the Auditor-General’s independent audit report, can be found at Appendix 4: Financial Statements and Statement of Performance.
Establishing ties with the local Muslim community
To celebrate the end of Ramadan, ACT Policing took part in festivities with the Islamic community at the Eid al-Fitr festival in August 2013.
Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslim communities around the world to mark the end of the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Open to the whole community, the event is an interfaith and multicultural celebration.
For the fourth year in a row, the AFP sponsored the Canberra Eid al-Fitr festival, helped with planning and ran a stall.
Members engaged with more than 4000 locals, spreading the word about crime reduction activities and promoting the AFP and ACT Policing as a workplace of choice within the Islamic and broader community of the ACT.
Canberra has always been a culturally diverse community so it is important for police to engage and build relationships with members of the multicultural community who may not speak English, may feel culturally isolated and are possibly distrustful of authority.
Sponsoring the festival provided a great opportunity to learn about and celebrate cultural diversity in Canberra.
ACT Policing completed several capital works projects during the reporting period.
The following works were started and completed during this reporting period.
The following works began during this report period, but have not yet been completed.
The majority of facilities and infrastructure used by ACT Policing is owned by the ACT Government. Asset management for these facilities and infrastructure is the responsibility of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JaCS) in conjunction with ACT Policing.
Table F.4.1 shows the assets managed by ACT Policing. As at 30 June 2014, the total value was $15.1 million.
Table F.4.2 shows the assets added or removed from ACT Policing’s asset register during the 2013–14 reporting period.
The Exhibit Management Centre closed-circuit television was upgraded during the 2013–14 reporting period.
ACT Policing’s expenditure on repairs and maintenance was $0.135 million, which represents 0.01% of Total Administrative Expenses.
ACT Policing has staff housed across 11 separate facilities in the ACT, including the five police stations. ACT Policing employs 925 members occupying 26,021 square metres sites shown in Table F.4.3
As a Commonwealth agency, we fall within the Commonwealth Financial Management and Accountability Framework. Under this framework, the AFP is required to comply with the Commonwealth Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act), Financial Management and Accountability Regulations 1997 and Commonwealth Procurement Rules. From 1 July 2014, the FMA Act is being replaced by the Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth), as part of a new Commonwealth Resource Management Framework.
Under Commonwealth procurement rules, the AFP is required to undertake the following in relation to procurements:
The AusTender website can be accessed at tenders.gov.au.
ACT Policing operates within the Commonwealth Financial Management and Accountability Framework. For more detail see the AFP Annual Report.
ACT Policing did not issue any construction grants or engage in any social procurement activities during the 2013–14 reporting period.
Our performance is measured by one main outcome supported by a series of outputs and performance measures as detailed in the Purchase Agreement (see Appendix 2).
Our main outcome is to work in partnership with the community to create a safer and more secure ACT through the provision of quality policing services. This is supported, and achieved, through our four key pillars:
As a contracted police service, our statement of performance — against our performance generally and financially — is reported against these four key outputs.
Our statement of performance for this reporting period, accompanied by the Auditor-General’s independent audit report, can be found at Appendix 4: Financial Statements and Statement of Performance. More information about our performance can be found at Section B.2: Performance Analysis.
Our performance reporting framework was introduced in the 2002–03 financial year and, since that time, there have been a range of amendments, deletions and additions to the suite of KPIs included in the annual Purchase Agreement (see Appendix 2). The agreement contains a range of notes to the KPIs which show definitions and data sources.
The targets set for each KPI are based on a range of factors (most of which are shown in Table F.6.1 below), which are included in the notes attached to the Purchase Agreement. Targets can be generated by annual or three-year averages, meaning that the actual target changes each year, or it can be a predetermined number. KPIs are generally assessed against crime statistics and the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP).
The NSCSP is a household survey conducted by the Social Research Centre every quarter which collects information from people Australia-wide. In the 2013-14 reporting period, 28 301 people were surveyed.
The NSCSP provides information on attitudes towards services provided by the police, perceptions on fear of crime, and problems in the neighbourhood area. It also provides information on the most recent contact with the police, who initiated the contact and reasons for contact.
Out of our 33 KPIs, 14 of the targets are directly measured against the results of the NSCSP. The targets for these KPIs are based on national averages, which enables comparison to other state and territory police services.
Volunteers in Policing (VIP) provide comfort for victims of trauma
The VIP Program is vital to the role of ACT Policing and helps in a range of our community engagement activities from front office assistance to knitting teddies and blankets.
The nature of policing means that our officers often work with people during the toughest, most distressing moments of their lives. A knitted blanket or teddy can make a huge difference, providing a sense of comfort and security for children, and even adults, going through a tough time.
During the 2013–14 reporting period, the Canberra community was encouraged to drop donations of wool or knitted teddies and blankets to any police station around Canberra. Our VIP volunteers, together with the help of community volunteers, transformed the wool into cuddly comfort teddies and blankets.
Initiatives like this give ACT Policing the opportunity to engage positively with the ACT community.
An arrangement between the Minister for Home Affairs, Justice, Privacy and Freedom of Information of the Commonwealth and the Australian Capital Territory for the provision of police services to the Australian Capital Territory.
In the ACT the rule of law is maintained by a justice system composed of independent but interoperable component parts. As part of compliance with the statutory framework of the ACT public sector participants in the justice system, including ACT Policing, are expected to promote and protect human rights when exercising a function under an ACT law.
Subsection 37(a) of the Australian Capital Territory Self Government Act 1988 provides that the ACT Executive has the responsibility of governing the ACT with respect to matters of law and order. Under subsection 23(1)(c) the ACT Legislative Assembly, however, has no power to make laws with respect to the provision by the AFP of police services in the ACT. As such there is no Police Act or similar legislation in the ACT, with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) being responsible for providing policing services to the ACT under Section 8 of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979.
Under subsection 8(1)(a) of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979, the Minister for Home Affairs, Justice, Privacy and Freedom of Information and the ACT have agreed to enter into arrangements for the provision of police services in relation to the ACT that are in respect of ACT functions as defined by section 3 of the Australian Capital Territory Self Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988 (hereinafter referred to as ‘Police Services’).
Paragraph 9(1)(b) of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 provides that, in addition to any other powers and duties, a member of the Australian Federal Police has, when performing functions in the ACT, the powers and duties conferred or imposed on a constable or on an officer of police by or under any law (including the common law) of the ACT.
IT IS AGREED by the parties to this Arrangement as follows:
1.1 In this Arrangement unless the contrary intention appears:
“ACT” means the Australian Capital Territory;
“ACT Executive” means the ACT Executive established pursuant to section 36 of the Australian Capital Territory Self Government Act 1988 (Cth);
“ACT Policing” means the Australian Federal Police business unit responsible for the provision of policing services to the ACT;
“AFP” means the Australian Federal Police;
“AFP Act” means the Australian Federal Police Act 1979;
“Chief Police Officer” means the AFP employee appointed by the Commissioner, as provided for in this Arrangement, to be the Chief Police Officer for the ACT;
“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police referred to in section 6 of the AFP Act;
“Commonwealth Minister” means the Commonwealth Minister of State appointed to administer the AFP Act;
“Commonwealth place of interest” means a facility or location that is directly involved in the conduct of Commonwealth Government business or is otherwise in the interests of the Commonwealth to protect.
“Police Minister” means the Minister of the ACT Executive who is responsible for police matters;
“Police Services” means community policing services provided for under this Arrangement, the Purchase Agreement and the AFP Act which include, but are not necessarily limited to, the preservation of peace and good order, the prevention and detection of crime and the protection of persons from injury or death, and the protection of property from damage, whether arising from criminal acts or otherwise;
“Purchase Agreement” means the annual agreement provided for under this Arrangement between the Police Minister, the Commissioner, and the Chief Police Officer setting out details of goods and services purchased by the ACT from the AFP, the agreed price for those services payable by the ACT to the AFP and the reporting by the AFP on performance.
2.1 The purpose of this Arrangement is to establish the enabling framework for the provision by the AFP of policing services to the ACT.
2.2 The Commonwealth is committed to the provision, within the context of this Arrangement and the Purchase Agreement, of a high quality community policing service to the ACT.
3.1 Both parties seek from this Arrangement:
4.1 The Commonwealth and the ACT Government agree that the AFP will provide police services to the ACT in accordance with the Purchase Agreement, as varied from time to time by agreement between the Police Minister and the Chief Police Officer.
4.2 The ACT shall pay the AFP for the provision of Police Services pursuant to this Arrangement the amounts specified in the Purchase Agreement.
4.3 The parties acknowledge that the AFP is also required, within the ACT, to provide Police Services to the Commonwealth which are not subject to this Arrangement and for which the ACT is not required to pay. This exclusion extends to cover the costs of enforcing Commonwealth law and protecting Commonwealth interests by AFP personnel employed within ACT Policing. Costs excluded from the Arrangement will include those associated with the protection of foreign dignitaries, foreign missions, and Commonwealth places of interest. The basis for allocating costs against the Commonwealth and ACT Governments will be articulated in the Purchase Agreement.
4.4 The allocation of resources for the Police Services required by the Commonwealth within the ACT will not be altered in any way which might materially affect the Police Services purchased by the ACT Government, without prior consultation and agreement. Failure to obtain agreement will be sufficient grounds for the issue of a notice to discontinue this Arrangement in accordance with clause 15.3.
4.5 Revenues received by the AFP in the course of enforcement of ACT legislation under this Arrangement will be remitted to the ACT.
4.6 Money received by ACT Policing in the course of performing Police Services, for which there is no identifiable owner, will be transferred to the ACT in accordance with the AFP’s obligations under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (Cth).
4.7 The ACT Government will be responsible for the provision of appropriate infrastructure and facilities for the provision of Police Services by the AFP. The ACT Government and the AFP
will, by way of a joint committee, develop a plan to apportion individual responsibilities for the maintenance of structures and facilities and the provision of fittings during the term of this Arrangement.
5.1 There shall be a Chief Police Officer for the ACT who shall, subject to the authority of the Commissioner, be responsible to the Police Minister for the achievement of the outcomes set out in the Purchase Agreement and the general management and control of the AFP Personnel and resources deployed for the purposes of that agreement.
5.2 The Commissioner shall appoint the Chief Police officer with the approval of the Police Minister.
5.3 If the Police Minister advises the Commissioner in writing that the Chief Police Officer no longer enjoys the confidence of the ACT Executive, and of the reasons for that lack of confidence, the Commissioner shall as soon as practicable replace the Chief Police Officer.
6.1 The Police Minister may give to the Chief Police Officer general directions in writing as to policy, priorities and goals in relation to the provision of Police Services by the AFP under this Arrangement and the Purchase Agreement.
6.2 The Chief Police Officer shall comply with any written directions received from the Police Minister under clause 6.1 unless a contrary written direction has been received from the Commonwealth Minister pursuant to the AFP Act.
6.3 Any written directions from the Police Minister will be appended to the Purchase Agreement in a form that enables them to be published in the ACT Policing Annual Report.
6.4 Except in case of emergency, the Commonwealth Minister shall not issue to the Commissioner a Direction pursuant to the AFP Act which affects the provision by the AFP of Police Services to the ACT unless the Commonwealth Minister has first consulted the Police Minister about the nature and purpose of that direction. Where in an emergency a Direction is given without prior consultation with the Police Minister, the Commonwealth Minister will consult the Police Minister about the Direction as soon as possible thereafter.
6.5 If a Direction by the Commonwealth Minister to the Commissioner has the effect of increasing the cost of Police Services provided to the ACT, then the costs attributable to the Direction will be borne by the Commonwealth by adjusting the price paid by the ACT in accordance with the price variation provisions of the Purchase Agreement.
7.1 The Police Minister may request ACT Policing to provide information to a nominated agency of the ACT to support the Police Minister in the performance of his or her ministerial functions on policing. This information includes but is not limited to:
7.2 At the time of nominating an agency to which information is to be provided, the Police Minister may indicate the manner in which the information is to be provided.
7.3 Subject to the authority of the Commissioner, the Chief Police Officer shall provide as much of the requested information as is permissible under Commonwealth and/or ACT law.
7.4 Nothing in clause 7.3 requires the Chief Police Officer to provide information that would compromise operational activity by the AFP, including ACT Policing.
7.5 The Chief Police Officer may impose conditions on the use of requested information if he or she considers it necessary for operational reasons.
7.6 Any information requested under clause 7.1 and provided by ACT Policing to the nominated agency must only be used for the purposes of the request.
8.1 ACT Policing may enter into agreements separate from this Arrangement with ACT Government agencies and non-government entities to deliver agreed services, as long as any agreement entered into is not inconsistent with this Arrangement, the Purchase Agreement or Ministerial Direction.
9.1 The Chief Police Officer shall report annually to the Police Minister at a time nominated by the Police Minister on the provision of Police Services pursuant to this Arrangement for the preceding year. The annual report will describe the outcomes achieved during the period reported on and shall include details of the resources utilised, the levels of crime reported and such other matters as may be specified by the Police Minister.
10.1 The Chief Police Officer will provide after the end of each financial year and by date nominated by the Police Minister, a financial statement for that financial year accompanied by a report of the Commonwealth Auditor-General or some other auditor nominated by the Chief Police Officer and approved by the Police Minister stating:
10.2 The Police Minister is also entitled to have specific financial and performance audits conducted by the Commonwealth Auditor-General, or other agreed auditor, the cost of which shall be borne by the ACT.
11.1 Recognising that ACT Policing is a Commonwealth entity, ACT Policing will seek internal and Commonwealth sourced legal advice on matters falling within its purview as a Commonwealth entity, and matters regarding the internal governance of the AFP.
11.2 Legal advice in relation to the review of briefs of evidence and the prosecution of offences will be sourced from the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions.
11.3 Legal advice in relation to the interpretation of the laws of the ACT (including the common law) will be sourced from the ACT Government Solicitor’s Office.
12.1 While this Arrangement is predominately for the provision of operational services to the ACT, ACT Policing will become involved in the development and implementation of ACT Government policy. When acting in this capacity ACT Policing shall act in the interests of ACT Policing in its capacity as a service provider for the ACT and within the whole of ACT Government policy framework and abide by ACT Government policy development procedures, including the requirements of the Cabinet handbook.
12.2 Where the Chief Police Officer holds membership of a national body or forum as the head of a law enforcement jurisdiction, the Chief Police Officer will represent the interests of ACT Policing in its capacity as a service provider for the ACT.
12.3 For the purposes of obtaining policy advice in relation to matters affecting the delivery of services to the ACT (including obligations under ACT legislation or representation at national and jurisdictional forums) ACT Policing will seek advice from the relevant Government agency.
12.4 Nothing in clause 11 or 12 shall affect the independence of the Chief Police Officer in relation to day-to-day operation of ACT Policing.
13.1 The Commonwealth is responsible for determining the terms and conditions of employment of AFP employees involved in the provision of Police Services to the ACT pursuant to this Arrangement.
13.2 If the Commissioner proposes to vary the terms and conditions of employment of AFP personnel in a way which might affect the manner and cost of providing Police Services to the ACT, the Commissioner shall, before altering those terms and conditions, consult with and advise the Police Minister of the likely implications of the proposed alterations.
14.1 The mechanism for resolving disputes arising from this Arrangement will be as follows:
14.2 For the purposes of this Arrangement the Contact Officers will be:
14.3 For the purposes of the Arrangement the Responsible Officers will be:
For the AFP, Chief Police Officer in consultation with the AFP, Chief Operating Officer; and
For the ACT, Director-General, Justice and Community Safety Directorate.14.4 Any dispute or matter of concern to either party arising from this Arrangement that cannot be resolved by the officers nominated at clause 14.2 or 14.3 shall be referred for consultation between resolution by the Commonwealth Minister and the Police Minister.
14.5 Contact Officers for the purpose of the annual Purchase Agreement are to be nominated in each Purchase Agreement.
15.1 This Arrangement shall commence on a date agreed to by the parties and shall remain in force for five years.
15.2 Two years prior to its expiry, the parties shall commence negotiations about the terms and conditions of a renewal of the Arrangement.
15.3 If either party decides this Arrangement shall not be continued or renewed, it shall give at least two years notice in writing to that effect.
15.4 In the event that a replacement Arrangement is not signed at expiry of the preceding Arrangement, the parties may agree to extend the terms and conditions of the current Arrangement.
16.1 A Purchase Agreement pursuant to this Arrangement shall be renegotiated annually prior to the commencement of the next financial year, which begins on 1 July.
16.2 The annual Purchase Agreement will set outcomes to be achieved, key performance indicators (KPI) and costs for providing the service. In the event that the parties have not signed a Purchase Agreement by 30 June in any year, the parties may agree to the terms and conditions of an interim Purchase Agreement.
16.3 If a KPI in a Purchase Agreement is not consistently met over the period of a purchase agreement, the Police Minister may direct that a review panel be convened as soon as possible to consider performance against the KPI and make recommendations to the Police Minister for remedial action.
16.4 A review panel under clause 16.3 will consist of at least one member appointed by the Chief Police Officer, one member appointed by the Director-General of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate and an independent person agreed by the Chief Police Officer and the Director-General.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF this Arrangement has been respectively signed for and on behalf of the parties:
.
SIGNED by the Hon. Brendan O’Connor MP, Minister for Home Affairs, Justice, Privacy and Freedom of Information on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia 24 June 2011
SIGNED by Simon Corbell MLA, Minister for Police and Emergency Services on behalf of the ACT Government 24 June 2011
2013-2014 Purchase Agreement between The ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, The Commissioner, Australian Federal Police, and the Chief Police Officer for the ACT for the provision of policing services to The Australian Capital Territory.
Minister for Police Emergency Services 25 June 2013
Australian Federal Police Commissioner 25 June 2013
Acting Chief Police Officer 25 June 2013
In partnership with the community, create a safer and more secure Australian Capital Territory (ACT) through the provision of quality police services.
This will be achieved through four main areas of activity: Crime and Safety Management; Traffic Law Enforcement and Road Safety; Prosecution and Judicial Support; and Crime Prevention.
| Crime and Safety Management | |
|---|---|
|
Output price $90,811,000 |
| Traffic Law Enforcement and Road Safety | |
| ACT Policing will enforce traffic laws and promote safer behaviour on ACT roads with the objectives of reducing the number of crash fatalities and injuries to members of the community. | Output price $15,380,000 |
| Prosecution and Judicial Support | |
| ACT Policing will maximise the number of successful prosecutions in Court by providing support to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Courts. | Output price $29,622,000 |
| Crime Prevention | |
| ACT Policing will seek to reduce and prevent crime through strategies that incorporate government and community cooperation to address risk factors associated with criminal behaviour and recidivism and raise awareness of the community’s role in their own safety and security. The total funding includes direct funding from the Directorate of Justice and Community Safety of $0.226 m for crime prevention initiatives. | Output price $14,379,000 |
| Total Price | $150,192,000a |
The above four main outputs will be achieved through the provision of police resources – including personnel, as defined and explained in schedule 2 of this Agreement.
The attribution of prices to outputs is indicative of resource prioritisation by outputs and may vary throughout the year according to the operational assessment of the Chief Police Officer. Changes to the total price must be agreed by both parties.
The details of the goods and services to be purchased by the ACT from the AFP and the price for those services are agreed within this document. The ACT considers changes to the policing services it requires and the price for those services as part of the ACT Budget process. The ACT Budget allocates funding to the Justice and Community Safety Directorate for the provision of policing services and the Directorate administers this funding on behalf of the Territory. The funding is classified as ‘Territorial’ in the ACT Budget papers.
Performance measures are an important element of determining the appropriate allocation of all resources in ACT Policing. Actual performance is rigorously measured and reported upon and, over time, informs decisions about adjustments to performance targets. To ensure any changes to targets do not have an adverse operational effect, gradual increases to performance targets have been made in this Agreement. Analysis of 2013-2014 performance may result in further phased changes to performance targets in future Agreements.
| Measures | Target |
|---|---|
| Level of Crime | |
| 1. Number of offences against the person reported or becoming known per 100,000 population.b | 800 or lessc1 |
| 2. Number of offences against property reported or becoming known per 100,000 population.b | 8300 or lessb |
| 3. Percentage of offences against the person cleared. | 72% or morec1 (The 2012-13 target was 70%) |
| 4. Percentage of offences against property cleared. | 15% or morec |
| Perceptions of Crime | |
| 5. Percentage of persons who are concerned about becoming a victim of physical assault in a public place – excluding sexual assault in the next 12 months.b,d,e | National Average or less |
| 6. Percentage of persons who are concerned about becoming a victim of sexual assault in the next 12 months. b,d,e | National Average or less |
| 7. Percentage of persons who are concerned about becoming a victim of housebreaking in the next 12 months. b,d,e | National Average or less |
| 8. Percentage of persons who are concerned about becoming a victim of motor vehicle theft in the next 12 months. b,d,e | National Average or less |
| 9. Percentage of persons who feel safe when walking in their neighbourhood by themselves during the night. b,d,e | National Average or more |
| 10. Percentage of persons who feel safe at home alone during the night.b,d,e | National Average or more |
| Police Responsiveness | |
11. Response times for Priority One Incidents:
|
75% or more 90% or more |
12. Response times for Priority Two Incidents:
|
70% or more 95% or more |
13. Response times for Priority Three Incidents: Where police attention or response is required:
|
90% or more |
14. Percentage of 000 calls answered on first or second presentation:
|
92% or more (The 2012-13 target was 90%) 98% or more |
| Public Confidence in Police | |
| 15. Percentage of persons satisfied with most recent contact with police services.d,e | National Average or more |
| 16. Percentage of persons who agree that police perform their job professionally.d,e | National Average or more |
| 17. Percentage of persons who agree that police treat people fairly and equally.d,e | National Average or more |
| Road Safety | |
| 18. Number of road crashes resulting in death per 100,000 population.b | 4.2 or lessb |
| 19. Number of road crashes resulting in injury per 100,000 population.b | 180 or lessb |
| 20. Percentage of persons who self-report to driving 10km per hour or more over the speed limit. b,d,e | National Average or less |
| 21. Percentage of persons who self-report to driving while not wearing a seatbelt. b,d,e | National Average or less |
| 22. Percentage of persons who self-report to driving while suspecting they are over the prescribed alcohol limit. b,d,e f | National Average or less |
| 23. Percentage of persons who self-report to driving when using a mobile phone. b,d,e | National Average or less |
| Supporting the Judicial Process | |
| 24. Percentage of briefs delivered to the DPP within the designated timeframe. g | 75% or more |
| 25. Percentage of cases finalised by offence proved in court.h,i | 82% or more (The 2012-13 target was 80%) |
| 26. Percentage of cases finalised by a not-guilty verdict or otherwise withdrawn.j,k | 15% or less |
| 27. Percentage of cases otherwise resolved. h,k,l | 5% or less |
| Crime Prevention | |
28. Percentage of persons who perceive the following quality of life issues to be a problem in their neighbourhood b,d,e:
|
National Average or less National Average or less National Average or less National Average or less |
29. Young people referred to restorative justice.
|
110 or more o (The 2012-13 target was 76) 95% or more o |
| 30. Number of persons referred to community support agencies. | 5500 or more (The 2012-13 target was 5400) |
| 31. ACT Policing Victim Liaison Officers providing contact with victims of indictable crime reported to police.p | 80% (The 2012-13 target was 75%) |
| 32. Number of referrals to drug diversion programs (drug demand reduction effort). | 80 or moreb |
| 33. Provide a quarterly report on Complaints to be released publically. | 4 reports per annum |
| $ | |
|---|---|
| Leasing | $1,236,000 |
| Maintenance | $972,000 |
| Running Costs | $2,265,000 |
| Total Recurrent | $4,473,000 |
| CUP | $240,000 |
| Term | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Offence | A breach of the criminal law | |
| Offences against the person | Offences against the person include homicide, assaults, sexually based offences, kidnap and related offences, other person offences. | |
| Offences against property | Offences against property include robbery, blackmail, extortion, burglary, fraud, motor vehicle thefts, other theft offences, property damage and environmental offences. | |
| Offence cleared | Offence cleared – Offences that are cleared by any method including, but not restricted to, arrest, caution, summons, charge withdrawn, unfounded, court attendance notice, charge before the court, diversionary conference, simple cannabis offence notice, complaint withdrawn by victim, offender identified – child under 10 years old, assault – inadequate evidence to support allegation or civil reconciliation between offender and victim. | |
| Comparability of Survey of Community Satisfaction with policing results | The National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP) was conducted by Roy Morgan Research from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2010. Since 1 July 2010 the NSCSP is conducted by the Social Research Centre. While the content of the survey remains relatively similar over time, there is some potential for variations in results based solely on the difference in the survey methodologies and survey providers. | |
| Prioritised response model | The model used by the computer aided dispatch system to prioritise incidents for dispatch of patrols. | |
| Police response | All police attendance to calls for assistance from members of the community that fit within the prioritised response model. | |
| Priority One incident | Life-threatening or time-critical situations. | |
| Priority Two incident | Situations where the information provided indicates that time is important, but not critical. | |
| Priority Three incident | There are two possible responses to situations where there is no immediate danger to safety or property. This will be either police attention or police response. Each incident will be managed on a case by case basis in full consultation with the complainant. During that consultation, a determination will be made as to whether the complainant agrees that the matter can be handled over the telephone (police attention) or if attendance is required by Police. If the latter, then attendance must be not later than 48 hours from the initial contact by the complainant. | |
| Percentage of 000 calls answered on first and second presentation | It is the policy of Telstra to re-present 000 calls to another line after nine rings in order to maximise the response rate. This is a national standard endorsed by Emergency Services Organisations across Australia. The measurement of response to 000 calls is based on average operating capacity and the target for this measure does not include abnormal instances created by one major event where operating capacity is overloaded due to multiple reporting of the same incident. | |
| Complaint issues | Issues associated with a complaint made in accordance with Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 | |
| Custody | The restriction or removal of a person's right to freedom of movement. May also be constructive as a result of a person believing that they may not exercise their free will as a result of dealings with a police officer and is deemed to exist in circumstances where a person:
|
|
| Injury | An injury sustained by any person as a result of a collision, which necessitates treatment by a medical practitioner. | |
| DPP | Director of Public Prosecutions. | |
| Hearing brief of evidence | A collation of all relevant evidentiary material relating to a prosecution to be forwarded to the DPP. It is accepted that for the judicial Process Measures (Numbers 24, 25, 26, 27) the efficiency of other agencies such as the DPP as well as the capacity of victims and witnesses to present their evidence may also affect judicial process outcomes. | |
| Contact with Victim | ACT Policing Victim Liaison Officers (VLOs) contact victims either via phone, letter or face to face. The VLOs may contact victims of the following indictable offences
|
|
| For offences investigated by ACT Policing’s Criminal Investigations portfolio, contact with victims is made where necessary after consultation with the relevant case officer. | ||
ACT Government funding for 2013-14 together with an amount of unspent funds from the 2012-13 Purchase Agreement will fund the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of 932 AFP employees engaged in the provision of community policing services to the ACT for financial year 2013-2014 (831 FTE plus 101 FTE enabling). This number is a budgeted figure only, acknowledging that actual staffing levels will vary at any given time. This budgeted figure is used in this Agreement for information only and not as a performance measure.”
In accordance with Clause 24 of the Agreement, the Chief Police Officer will report quarterly to the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services on the deployment, operational status and movement of ACT Policing employees. Reporting will include:
The Chief Police Officer will give timely advice to the Minister on any senior AFP personnel movements or changes (from Superintendent rank (or equivalent) upwards).
The Chief Police Officer will provide the following report on a quarterly basis in accordance with clause 24 of this Agreement:
The report will be accompanied by commentary where consolidated node variations exceed 5 per cent of pro-rata phased budgets.
The AFP provides Community Policing services to the ACT Government on a cost recovery basis. Costs are calculated against defined outputs to be met by the AFP’s ACT Policing business unit and some specialised elements from the wider AFP (Enabling). ACT Policing business unit costs are apportioned between the ACT and Commonwealth Governments on the basis of direct and indirect cost attribution. Costs associated with AFP operational and corporate support (Enabling) are determined using Commonwealth Government Cost Recovery Guidelines where appropriate.
The annual ACT Policing Activity Survey, which is used as an input into the Activity Matrix will be conducted at a time agreed to by the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services and the Chief Police Officer. Any additional surveys or alternative methods of activity recording will be conducted where agreed to by both parties. Any changes to the Activity Matrix will be applied to the Financial Management Information System (FMIS) as soon as practical. No retrospective changes to the Activity Matrix will be made without the agreement of both parties.
The following components are part of the ACT considerations for ACT Policing costs to the Territory in 2013–2014:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Activity Survey | An annual statistical analysis of ACT Policing activities undertaken over a seven day period to capture and define the more routine tasks performed by ACT Policing which are not readily identified by direct cost-attribution. These tasks are subsequently attributed to either Commonwealth or ACT Outputs delivered by ACT Policing. |
| Activity Matrix | A table of values derived from a budget weighted average of activity survey data used to allocate indirect costs against ACT Policing Outputs at a cost centre level. |
| Enabling | Services purchased from the wider AFP such as Information Technology or Forensic Services not within the managerial responsibility of the Chief Police Officer. |
| FMIS | Financial Management Information System or otherwise known as Accounting System |
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Integrity | A quality that underpins an individual's soundness of moral principles. It is manifested in their uprightness, honesty and sincerity in their approach to themselves, others and their work. |
| Commitment | Characterised by dedication, application, perseverance, a belief in a personal capacity and professionalism to achieve and add value. |
| Excellence | Seeking improvement in everything we do and in the quality of the services we provide. |
| Accountability | Ownership of work results, personal actions and being answerable for outcomes. |
| Fairness | Characteristics of impartiality and equity. |
| Trust | Faith, confidence and being able to rely and depend on others. |
The equalisation contribution replaces the Special Fiscal Needs (SFN) allowance provided by of the ACT not having control over the terms and conditions of employment of AFP employees.
Fundamental to compliance with the professional standards of the AFP is a requirement to adhere to the AFP Code of Conduct. The AFP Code of conduct requires:
8.1. An AFP appointee must act with due care and diligence in the course of AFP duties.
8.2. An AFP appointee must act with honesty and propriety in the course of AFP duties.
8.3. An AFP appointee must act with fairness, easonableness, courtesy and respect, and without discrimination or harassment, in the course of AFP duties.
8.4. An AFP appointee must, at all times, comply with all applicable Australian laws. For this purpose/ Australian law means:
8.5. An AFP appointee must comply with any lawful direction given by a person who has the authority to give such direction.
8.6. An AFP appointee must disclose, and at all times take reasonable steps to avoid, any conflict of interest (real or apparent) in connection with their AFP duties or employment.
8.7. An AFP appointee must not make improper use of:
8.8. An AFP appointee must use and manage Commonwealth resources in a proper manner.
8.9. An AFP appointee must at all times behave in a way that upholds the good order and discipline of the AFP.
8.10. An AFP appointee must at all times behave in a way that upholds the AFP core values, and the integrity and good reputation of the AFP.
8.11. While deployed overseas/ an AFP appointee must at all times behave in a way that upholds the good reputation of Australia.
In accordance with sections 40RH and 40RJ of the Act, a “conduct issue” is any conduct of an AFP appointee that contravenes AFP professional standards or constitutes corrupt conduct. This also includes failing or refusing to engage in conduct.
A matter is considered a conduct issue even if:
Lawful and reasonable off-duty or private conduct will not be investigated unless the conduct has a bearing on AFP professional standards.
Professional Standards Investigations (PRSI) is based in most AFP offices and some overseas missions. PRSI is headquartered at AFP HQ in Canberra and provides professional Standards investigations services to ACT Policing. Within the Professional Standards tiered model, PRSI investigate Category 3 conduct matters and, in consultation with other agencies, may investigate some corruption matters in support of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI). Appointees outside of the PRSI portfolio can also be empowered to conduct investigations on behalf of PRSI.
Although the AFP Commissioner and the Law Enforcement Ombudsman may determine what comprises a Category 3 matter, such matters are limited to conduct that does not raise a corruption issue. Potential outcomes that may be applied to an AFP appointee for an established Category 3 matter include training and development and remedial action as described in Category 2; termination action and/or criminal charge.
An investigator of a Category 3 or Corruption matter, in addition to normal police powers of investigation, may for the purposes of the investigation utilise certain powers bestowed on such investigators by Part V of the AFP Act 1979. These powers include directing appointees to give information, produce documents or answer questions as well as being able to enter premises occupied by the AFP and to inspect certain material.
Whilst AFP Professional Standards (PRS) is responsible for resolving complaints about the actions of AFP appointees in accordance with Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979, The Commonwealth Ombudsman has a role in providing independent oversight of such matters.
If a complainant remains dissatisfied after making a complaint to the AFP, then that person can make a complaint to the Commonwealth Ombudsman under the Ombudsman Act 1976.
The person can complain about the conduct or actions of individual AFP members; or the policies or procedures of the AFP as an agency.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Category 1 conduct | Category 1 conduct is inappropriate conduct that:
|
| Category 2 conduct | Category 2 conduct is:
|
| Category 3 conduct | Category 3 conduct is:
|
| Corruption issue | A corruption issue is an issue whether a person who is, or has been, a staff member of a law enforcement agency:
|
This Direction is issued under Section 6 of the Policing Arrangement between the Commonwealth and ACT Governments and outlines the Government’s priorities and expectations for the AFP and the Chief Police Officer. This Direction is to be read in conjunction with the 2013-2014 Purchase Agreement between the ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, the AFP Commissioner and the Chief Police Officer for the ACT.
In accordance with the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (the Act), the Australian Federal Police (AFP) provides community policing services to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). In accordance with the Act the Commonwealth and ACT Governments entered into an arrangement for the provision of policing services in June 2011. This arrangement details the goods and services to be purchased by the ACT from the AFP. This arrangement is supported by annual Purchase Agreements which outline the range of deliverables, performance measures and the agreed price for those services. Consistent with this agreement I expect ACT Policing to pay due attention to all elements of the Purchase Agreement.
The Government expects the AFP to give special emphasis to the following broad operational issues during the financial year 2013-2014:
The Government expects the AFP to report quarterly to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services on progress against special areas of focus.
Simon Corbell MLA Minister for Police and Emergency Services
25 June 2013
| Offences type | Offences reported | Offences cleared | Clear-up rate | Male charges | Female charges | Total charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offences against the person | ||||||
| Homicide and related offences | ||||||
| Murder | 2 | 1 | 50% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Attempted murder | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Conspiracy to murder | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Manslaughter | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Driving causing death | 1 | 3 | 300% | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Homicide unspecified | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total homicide and related offences | 4 | 5 | 125% | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Assaults (excluding sexual) | ||||||
| Assault causing GBH | 23 | 15 | 65% | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Assault causing ABH | 325 | 215 | 66% | 218 | 32 | 250 |
| Assault other | 1641 | 1216 | 74% | 551 | 128 | 679 |
| Total assaults (excluding sexual) | 1989 | 1446 | 73% | 797 | 160 | 957 |
| Sexual offences | ||||||
| Sexual assault –1st, 2nd or 3rd degree | 3 | 0 | 0% | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Sexual intercourse, no consent | 91 | 84 | 92% | 37 | 0 | 37 |
| Sexual intercourse, person < 16 yrs | 76 | 66 | 87% | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Indecent act, assault | 36 | 21 | 58% | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Indecent act, no consent | 57 | 47 | 82% | 137 | 0 | 137 |
| Indecent act, person < 16 yrs | 69 | 82 | 119% | 123 | 0 | 123 |
| Incest | 8 | 5 | 63% | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Indecent exposure | 26 | 13 | 50% | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Abduction (sexual intent) | 2 | 2 | 100% | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Total sexual offences | 368 | 320 | 87% | 357 | 1 | 358 |
| Other offences | ||||||
| Kidnap | 15 | 17 | 113% | 21 | 5 | 26 |
| Other offences against the person | 83 | 44 | 53% | 69 | 5 | 74 |
| Total other offences | 98 | 61 | 62% | 90 | 10 | 100 |
| Total offences against the person | 2459 | 1832 | 75% | 1256 | 171 | 1427 |
| Offences against property | ||||||
| Robbery | ||||||
| Armed robbery | 79 | 33 | 42% | 48 | 9 | 57 |
| Other robbery | 61 | 15 | 25% | 22 | 3 | 25 |
| Total robbery | 140 | 48 | 34% | 70 | 12 | 82 |
| Blackmail and extortion | ||||||
| Blackmail and extortion | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Burglary | ||||||
| Burglary dwellings | 1418 | 131 | 9% | 133 | 11 | 144 |
| Burglary shops | 251 | 29 | 12% | 27 | 3 | 30 |
| Burglary other | 415 | 43 | 10% | 55 | 3 | 58 |
| Total burglary | 2084 | 203 | 10% | 215 | 17 | 232 |
| Fraud and misappropriation | ||||||
| Fraud | 584 | 334 | 57% | 267 | 152 | 419 |
| Counterfeiting | 13 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Misappropriation | 1 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total fraud and misappropriation | 598 | 335 | 56% | 267 | 152 | 419 |
| Handling stolen goods | ||||||
| Receiving | 2 | 2 | 100% | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Unlawful possession | 84 | 75 | 89% | 114 | 53 | 167 |
| Other handling stolen goods | 8 | 5 | 63% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total handling of stolen goods | 94 | 82 | 87% | 121 | 56 | 177 |
| Theft or illegal use of a vehicle | ||||||
| Motor vehicle theft | 745 | 85 | 11% | 77 | 10 | 87 |
| Bicycle theft | 477 | 7 | 1% | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Boat theft | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aircraft theft | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other vehicle theft | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unspecified vehicle theft | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total theft or illegal use of a vehicle | 1224 | 92 | 8% | 89 | 10 | 99 |
| Other theft | ||||||
| Stock theft | 2 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shop stealing | 1249 | 692 | 55% | 251 | 322 | 573 |
| Theft at burglary – dwellings | 755 | 78 | 10% | 78 | 5 | 83 |
| Theft at burglary – shops | 107 | 16 | 15% | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Theft at burglary – other | 178 | 22 | 12% | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Other theft | 6196 | 537 | 9% | 187 | 104 | 291 |
| Total other theft | 8487 | 1345 | 16% | 552 | 431 | 983 |
| Property damage | ||||||
| Arson | 182 | 19 | 10% | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| Damage at burglary – dwellings | 61 | 8 | 13% | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Damage at burglary – shops | 27 | 2 | 7% | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Damage at burglary – other | 47 | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Other property damage | 3957 | 553 | 14% | 363 | 91 | 454 |
| Total property damage | 4274 | 582 | 14% | 398 | 93 | 491 |
| Environmental offences | ||||||
| Pollution | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Flora and fauna | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other environmental offences | 2 | 3 | 150% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total environmental offences | 5 | 4 | 80% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total offences against property | 16907 | 2692 | 16% | 1712 | 771 | 2483 |
| Offences against good order | ||||||
| Government security/operations | 45 | 50 | 111% | 66 | 17 | 83 |
| Justice procedures | 1333 | 1195 | 90% | 1987 | 572 | 2559 |
| Firearms and weapons | 209 | 173 | 83% | 249 | 33 | 282 |
| Other offences against good order | 911 | 700 | 77% | 644 | 151 | 795 |
| Total offences against good order | 2498 | 2118 | 85% | 2946 | 773 | 3719 |
| Drug offences | ||||||
| Possess and use drugs | 430 | 368 | 86% | 389 | 82 | 471 |
| Deal and supply drugs | 31 | 34 | 110% | 93 | 8 | 101 |
| Manufacture and grow drugs | 33 | 23 | 70% | 22 | 10 | 32 |
| Other drug offences | 36 | 9 | 25% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total drug offences | 530 | 434 | 82% | 504 | 100 | 604 |
| Traffic offences | ||||||
| Drink and drug driving offences | 1446 | 1393 | 96% | 1382 | 338 | 1720 |
| Dangerous and reckless driving | 89 | 83 | 93% | 103 | 15 | 118 |
| Driving licence offences | 960 | 948 | 99% | 901 | 249 | 1150 |
| Other motor vehicle, traffic and related offences | 3083 | 2640 | 86% | 1114 | 336 | 1450 |
| Total traffic offences | 5578 | 5064 | 91% | 3500 | 938 | 4438 |
| Other offences not elsewhere classified (nec) | ||||||
| Other offences nec | 250 | 111 | 44% | 215 | 93 | 308 |
| All offences | 28222 | 12251 | 43% | 10133 | 2846 | 12979 |
Note: Offence classifications are based on Australian Bureau of Statistics ANCO (1985), Catalogue No 1234.0. Offences cleared do not necessarily relate to those offences reported in the period. Offences reported in Jervis Bay are excluded.
Source: Offences reported: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014 Offences cleared: PROMIS as at 2 July 2014 Number of Charges: PROMIS (apprehensions module – number of unique offender records per offence type within an apprehension) as at 2 July 2014
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Policing Arrangement between the Australian and ACT governments (see Appendix 1) for the delivery of policing services to the ACT by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The report has also been prepared in accordance with the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth) and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (Cth).
Where possible, our annual report complies with the Chief Minister’s Annual Report Directions for the 2013–14 reporting period. The following sections are deemed non-compliant.
| ABS | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
|---|---|
| ACC | Australian Crime Commission |
| ACLEI | Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity |
| ACT | Australian Capital Territory |
| ACTRFS | Australian Capital Territory Rural Fire Service |
| AFP | Australian Federal Police |
| ANU | Australian National University |
| ANZCTC | Australia–New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee |
| ANZPAA | Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency |
| ANZPCF | Australia and New Zealand Police Commissioners’ Forum |
| BC | Business Committee |
| BMS | Building Management System |
| CAD | Computer Aided Dispatch |
| CCTV | Closed-circuit television |
| CHANCES | Community Helping Aboriginal Australians to Negotiate Choices leading to Employment and Success |
| CIN | Criminal infringement notice |
| CMT | Complaints management teams |
| CO3 | Commissioner’s Order 3 |
| CPTED | Crime Prevention through Environmental Design |
| CRAMS | Complaint Recording and Management System |
| CRED | Crime Reduction Education and Diversion |
| CRU | Crime Reduction Unit |
| Cth | Commonwealth |
| DPP | Director of Public Prosecutions |
| Drive SOS | Drive So Others Survive |
| DVI | Disaster victim identification |
| EC | Executive Committee |
| EM&P | Emergency Management and Planning |
| ESC | Executive Steering Committee |
| ESD | Ecologically sustainable development |
| FOI | Freedom of information |
| FPDP | Federal Police Development Program |
| FTE | Full-time equivalent |
| GLLO | Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer |
| HR | Human Resources |
| HS | Human Source |
| HSMA | Health and Safety Management Arrangements |
| ICCS | Incident Command and Control System |
| IGCD | Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs |
| IHRMS | Integrated Human Resource Management System |
| JaCS | Justice and Community Safety Directorate |
| JAG | Joint Analyst Group |
| JIG | Joint Intelligence Group |
| JP | Justice of the Peace |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator |
| LAB | Liquor Advisory Board |
| LCCSC | Law, Crime and Community Safety Council |
| LEIP | Law Enforcement Intelligence Program |
| NRSW | National Road Safety Week |
| NSCSP | National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing |
| OC | Operations Committee |
| ORS | Office of Regulatory Services |
| PCYC | Police Community Youth Club |
| PDA | Performance Development Agreement |
| PIN | Provisional Improvement Notice |
| PROMIS | Police Real-time Online Management Information System |
| PRS | Professional Standards |
| PRSIO | Professional Standards Implementation Officer |
| RAIS | Road Accident Investigation Service |
| RAPID | Recognition and Analysis of Plates Identified |
| RSOT | Road Safety Operations Team |
| RTT | Regional Targeting Team |
| SAB | Sentence Advisory Board |
| SARAH | Safer Australian Roads and Highways |
| SES | Senior executive staff |
| SOCCC | Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee |
| SRG | Specialist Response Group |
| TIN | Traffic infringement notice |
| UPS | Uninterruptable power supply |
| VAB | Victims’ Advisory Board |
| VIP | Volunteers in Policing |
| VR | Voluntary redundancies |
| VSD | Variable speed drives |
| WHS | Work health and safety |
| WRT | Workforce Reporting Team |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Full-time equivalent | Full-time equivalent; for example, a part-time member working 20 hours per week has an FTE of 0.5. |
| Headcount | Each member counted as one headcount regardless of hours they work. |
| iAspire | AFP’s online learning management system. |
| Offence | A breach of the criminal law. |
| Offences against property | Include robbery, blackmail, extortion, burglary, fraud, motor vehicle thefts, other theft offences, property damage and environmental offences. |
| Offences against the person | Include homicide and related offences, assaults, sex-based offences, kidnap and other offences against an individual. |
| Offences cleared | This covers offences cleared by arrest, caution, summons, charge withdrawn, unfounded, voluntary agreement to attend court, charge before court, diversionary conference, simple cannabis offence notice, complaint withdrawn by victim, insufficient evidence to proceed or offences otherwise resolved. |
| Police response | All police attendance to calls for assistance from members of the community that fit within the prioritised response model. |
| Prescribed alcohol limit | In the ACT, the prescribed limit is 0.000 of alcohol per 100mL of blood for those classed as a ‘special driver’ in the Road Transport (Alcohol and Drugs) Act 1977 (ACT). ‘Special drivers’ include those with a learner, provisional, probation, restricted, suspended and disqualified licence. The prescribed limit for all other drivers is 0.050 of alcohol per 100mL of blood. |
| Prioritised response model | The model used by the Computer Aided Dispatch system to prioritise incidents for dispatch of patrols. |
| Priority One incident | Life-threatening or time-critical situations. |
| Priority Two incident | Situations where the information provided indicates that the time is important but not critical. |
| Priority Three incident | Situations where there is no immediate danger to safety or property but police attendance or response is needed no later than 48 hours from the initial contact by the complainant or a time agreed with the complainant. |
| Volume crime | Relates to the majority of offences against the person or property which are committed and, as such, have a significant impact on a large number of community members. This includes offences such as motor vehicle theft. |
