... whatever the situation, however serious the crime, the AFP will always be a step ahead.
About this crime type
About this crime
The Commonwealth of Australia is the official name of Australia. It's a federation of 6 states and 2 self-governing territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory) and 8 federally administered external territories.
We don't investigate crimes in the private or not-for-profit sector unless they also affect the Commonwealth, such as environmental crimes that breach the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) rather than state, territory or local government laws.
Crime Interrupted
We provided exclusive access to our case vault and this podcast series provides a detailed insight into how the AFP interrupts the most serious of crimes.
Our work
Our work
We lead investigations into crimes against the Commonwealth of Australia, often working closely with other Australian Government bodies, including:
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water for breaches of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)
- Australian Border Force for some crimes at sea.
We are also responsible for land and marine search and rescue operations in Commonwealth waters, including 60 Australian marine parks, and in Australia's external territories, such as the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Our Maritime team provides specialist water and dive capabilities to support operations such as:
- searching for evidence
- body search and recovery
- maritime patrols and tactical boarding
- swift-water rescue
- search and rescue.
Find out more about what we do
Report a crime or concern
We can investigate Commonwealth crimes (sometimes called federal crimes) and crimes that take place in the Australian Capital Territory. What best describes the crime you want to report or what you want to tell us about?
How to report
Before submitting a report read our crimes against the Commonwealth of Australia-related information to report accurately
If you suspect a person or company of crimes against the Commonwealth, let us know by filling out our
Join us
Join us
Help us protect the Commonwealth of Australia, our environment and our oceans.
You can choose from a variety of challenging and rewarding roles.
Our tactical response operators are trained in specialist areas, including maritime operations.
Our intelligence analysts support operational work by giving us a single picture of criminal threats and harm to help us make crucial decisions.
Find out more about these roles:
You can apply for positions when they are advertised on our Jobs portal
