From Daily Escape

Revision as of 07:09, 20 October 2007

Australia's legal system, and law enforcement organisations are heavily based on those used in England. The legal systems are virtually identical.

Law Enforcement

In Australia, most law enforcement is carried out at the State/Territory level, with each state, and most territories maintaining their own police forces. The Federal Government also maintains police forces for specific purposes.

Commonwealth Police Forces

The Commonwealth Government maintains police forces for specific purposes. The Commonwealth is also responsible for policing some territories. The departments maintaining police forces include the Attorney General's Department, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Department of Defence, and the Treasury.

The following police forces are under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth (listed by responsible Department):

Attorney General's Department

Australian Federal Police

The Australian Federal Police is Australia's premier Commonwealth police force. It collaborates with all other Australian police forces, and international police forces. The Federal Police has several sub-organisations including the Australian Federal Police Protective Service, the Community Policing Division, and the Australian Capital Territory Police. The AFP has the following responsibliities

• Enforcement of Commonwealth law including
  • Drug smuggling
  • Organised people smuggling
  • Major fruad against the Commonwealth
  • "Cyber-crime"
  • Transnational crime, multijurisdictional crime
  • Money laundering
  • Organised crime

Community Policing Division/ACT Police

• Community policing in the following territories
  • Australian Capital Territory
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  • Coral Sea Islands Territory
  • Jervis Bay Territory
  • Norfolk Island

Australian Federal Police Protective Service

• Protection of government buildings, installations, and property
• Protection of airports
• Protection of Foreign Embassies, High Commissions, and Consulates in Australia
• Protection of Australian Embassies, High Commissions, and Consulates overseas
• Close protection of persons whose protection is deemed necessary by the Commonwealth

Australian Customs Service

Managing the security and integrity of the Australian border, facilitating the movement of legitimate international travellers and goods, and collecting border related duties and taxes

Australian Crime Commission

Fighting nationally significant crime, and organised crime

Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity

Fighting corruption, specifically in the AFP, and ACC

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

• Australian Quarantine and Investigation Service

Department of the Treasury

• Australian Securities and Investments Commission

Department of Defence

• Royal Australian Corps of Military Police (Army)
  • Responsible for security of Army establishments, field security, POW's, traffic control, counter-intelligence, criminal law enforcement, and forensic investigation on Army establishments, and in the field with Army units.
• Royal Australian Air Force Security Police (Air Force)
  • Responsible for security of RAAF bases, criminal law enforcement on RAAF bases, and forensic investigation.
• Naval Police Coxswains (Royal Australian Navy)
  • Responsible for criminal law enforcement on RAN shore establishments and ships, Whole Ship Coordination, assisting local law enforcement during foreign shore visits

State and Territory Police Forces

Each State as well as the Northern Territory is responsible for maintaining its own police force which is responsible for policing at the state and local level. This involves general law and order, traffic policing, major crime, anti-terrorism branches, water police, search and rescue and in some states transit police. State police agencies also assist the Australian Federal Police. Local policing in the Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay Territory and Australia's external territories is contracted to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

In some states, local governments employ by-laws officers or rangers to enforce local by-laws or ordinances relating to such matters as parking, dog ownership, retailing, littering or water usage. These local government officers are not considered to be police forces as they generally only have the power to issue fines and do not have the same powers as state police. They may rely upon appointment as a Special Constable or legislated powers for their authority.

The following state and territory police forces operate in Australia

• Fiji Police
• New South Wales Police Force
• New Zealand Police
• Northern Territory Police
• Papua New Guinea Police
• Queensland Police Service
• Royal Solomon Islands Police
• South Australia Police
• Tasmanian Police
• Victoria Police
• Western Australia Police

Equipment and Weapons

With the exception of the Department of Defence's police agencies (which use ADF standard equipment), most Australian police forces use similar, or identical equipment.

Weapons

• Glock 22 .40S&W pistol
• Smith and Wesson Model 10 .38 Special revolver (Victoria)
• Smith and Wesson Model 19 and 66 .357 Magnum revolver (South Australia)
• Glock 17 9mm pistol (New Zealand)
• Browning L9A1 9mm pistol (ADF, Fiji)
• F88 Austeyr 5.56mm assault rifle (ADF)
• AR-15 5.56mm semi-automatic rifle (New South Wales)
• F88C-Police 5.56mm semi automatic carbine
• Ruger Mini-14 (Western Australia)
• HK UMP40-SF
• Remington 870 12ga shotgun

Other equipment

• Expandable Baton
• Handcuffs
• Radios
• OC Spray
• Tasers (Queensland, NSW, and Solomon Islands only)
• Mobile Data Terminals

Vehicles

• Ford Falcon
• Holden Commodore
• Holden Rodeo
• Toyota Hilux
• Ford Falcon Ute (as a caged truck)
• BMW Motorcycles (road)
• Suzuki Motorcycles (off road)