Palmer, Mick --- "Twenty years of fighting crime" [1999] AUFPPlatypus 19; (1999) 64 Platypus: Journal of the Australian Federal Police, Article 1

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Twenty years of fighting crime

By Commissioner Mick Palmer

This special edition of our journal celebrates the 20th anniversary of the AFP, recalling our history as well as looking at some more contemporary areas of law enforcement.

In reflecting on our past, it is a sobering thought that of the people now in the AFP, less than 20 per cent were there at day one. Fortunately, Deputy Commissioner Adrien Whiddett is one of those, and he has provided a personal and entertaining look back over the past 20 years. Let me take a brief moment to add my perspective.

As Platypus has been produced since the formation of the AFP, I looked back over a selection of the previous 63 editions to see what the journal said about our history.

Two things struck me: the environment we work in has been ever changing over this time, and it is a fair bet to say that this will continue; and secondly, what stands out is the resourcefulness, imagination and innovation of those who have worked in the AFP.

If you glance through Chappell and Wilson's Issues in Australian Policing it will be evident that the AFP has been consistently at the forefront of what is regarded as best practice in contemporary policing. Many of the ideas put forward in this text have been adopted, and in many cases implemented, years ago by the AFP. Examples include: freeing up our structure, empowering our people, abolishing specialist squads, contract-based employment, illicit drug testing, integrity and probity audits, mentoring, professional reporting and competency assessment. Not only have we implemented these initiatives but they occurred of our own volition rather than having been directed as a result of a royal commission or commission of inquiry.

Significantly, all the reviews and inquiries into the AFP over the past 20 years have found an organisation that is in pretty good shape. When deficiencies have been identified we have demonstrated a willingness and commitment to do something about them. Frequently we have identified deficiencies ourselves through rigorous internal examination and assessment. Additionally, we have continually reviewed our practices and sought to improve performance and the quality of our accountability.

As mentioned already, the second point which stood out in reading the back issues of Platypus was the demonstrably resourceful nature of our people.

All around the organisation we can see examples of innovative work practices which began with the germ of an idea in somebody's mind. Although little can be said about their work, the Police Technical Units have developed some brilliant applications in the field of electronic surveillance. Many of our most successful operations have relied on listening device product. In a related area, the work of our forensic laboratories is recognised as world class and they have been certified accordingly. On the document management front the General Evidence Management System (GEMS) has the potential to revolutionise document handling procedures. We are now starting to see the benefits of the introduction of the Police Real Time Online Management System (PROMIS) and the AFP will be well placed to respond to the new accrual based accounting framework which the Commonwealth is introducing across all agencies next year.

However it is perhaps from overseas that we get some of our most positive feedback. The way AFP personnel conduct themselves in a wide variety of international environments, including peacekeeping, peace monitoring, liaison, and other roles, continues to bring great credit to themselves, the organisation and Australia. Nowhere has this been more clearly and publicly demonstrated than in East Timor.

I receive similar feedback about our smaller posts around Australia and its territories. These people are not simply doing a job, they are often on call 24-hours-a-day and it is obvious they are totally committed to what they are doing. It is this commitment and the clear competence of our people which forges reputations and delivers results.

The concern for the wider community is also evident in initiatives such as Bluey Day, where the organisation pulls together to support this worthwhile charity. Invariably, the AFP delivers a return to the organisers many times that which might be expected from an organisation of this size.

There is also a strong concern for our own, quite apart from official arrangements, where the informal grapevine and support networks are invariably put in place to support a member in need. This is one of the more positive aspects of working in a policing organisation, and one we frequently forget or take for granted.

When we look back beyond 20 years, it seems they were innocent times compared to today.

The 1970s witnessed the arrival of FM Radio and colour TV. Norman Gunston and Paul Hogan were among our cultural icons. We saw the first Lotto draw and the birth of one-day cricket, while ‘The Sullivans' was one of our favourite television drama series.

But more sinister trends were emerging.

Anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay went missing, feared murdered. The Australian Coastal Surveillance Centre was established to police Australia's 200 nautical mile economic zone and monitor the growing influx of illegal immigrants. And in the early hours of February 14, 1978 two men were killed when a bomb exploded at the entrance to the Hilton Hotel in George Street, Sydney. The bombing was believed to be the work of an extremist group whose aim was to spread terror through the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting being held there.

The bomb blast was one of the factors which ultimately led to the formation of the Australian Federal Police when the former Commonwealth Police, ACT Police and elements of the Narcotics Bureau were merged into a single entity.

Crime, back then, was seen as essentially a local problem. Criminal acts were regarded as ‘single incident' and were committed on the local patch by likely lads who were inevitably known to the local constabulary. Police tended to learn their craft ‘on the job' and would spend most of their careers in specialised squads. The drug squad looked with disdain at the work of the fraud squad. The concept of multi-agency taskforces was as foreign as caf latts.

Without doubt, the world is more unpredictable and dynamic now than 20 years ago. When the AFP was formed we inherited the obligation to supply personnel to the United Nations peace-keeping mission in Cyprus. Over the past five years we have found ourselves in a range of world trouble spots including Somalia, Mozambique, Haiti, Cambodia, Bougainville, the South Pacific and of course, perhaps most graphically, East Timor. We have members assisting with war-crime-related investigations in The Hague. None of this could have been foreseen 20 years ago.

Our role in United Nations missions, our growing international liaison network, and higher profile within Interpol is a reflection of the AFP's emerging jurisdiction between Australia and the rest of the world. It is not trite to say that we are forging a truly special and valuable law enforcement identity and capacity.

As an indicator, many of our recent national investigations have been facilitated by high quality intelligence-sharing with international agencies. Frequently the tentacles of our investigations spread across many countries.

I share Adrien Whiddett's sentiments, that it has been the toil of the men and women, the sworn and unsworn members of the AFP, that has laid the foundation of our reputation and through whose dedication and idealism we have made the unachievable, achievable.

Without suggesting that we can not and should not continue to improve, it is important we properly recognise our progress and successes.

There are growing numbers of whole-of-life criminals and influential members of criminal syndicates behind bars serving long jail terms for underestimating the risks of conducting business in Australia. We have also made significant contributions to the charging of major criminal figures, the disruption of criminal syndicates overseas, the successful investigation of serious economic crime, and the advancement of Australia's international law enforcement reputation.

These successes are not ours alone, as the majority of operations are dependent upon the cooperation and support of our colleagues in other law enforcement agencies both here and overseas. However, in order to confide sensitive information to people in other agencies you need to trust and respect them first, and this we have achieved both individually and collectively through building and strengthening relationships with our many partners in the law enforcement and related fields.

Throughout its short history the Australian Federal Police has continued to develop and improve all aspects of its operational and administrative performance, relevance and credibility. Our reputation, both domestically and internationally, has never been higher. This reputation is a tribute to all those past and present members who have played such an important part in its development.

To our present people I say very sincerely, you have every right to feel justifiably proud of the work you do and more importantly, for the way in which you do it.