Corporate Plan 2021 - 2022

Commisioner’s foreword

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is taking deliberate actions to maximise impact on the criminal environment. Never was this more apparent than during the successful resolution of Operation Ironside in June 2021. We worked together with partners across the globe to bring down major criminal networks allegedly responsible for large drug imports and attempts to kill. Our work is far from over in keeping Australians safe. The women and men of the AFP are committed to keeping Australians and Australia’s interests safe from criminal harm. Our operational capabilities will keep growing. We will stay relentless in our pursuit of a safer Australia.

The AFP Corporate Plan 2021–2022 maps our new three-outcome structure, encompassing National and International Policing, ACT Policing, and Specialist Protective Services and International Policing Missions. This structure more clearly reflects the breadth and complexity of our role. We will keep building public awareness to increase understanding of our role, encourage community engagement, and ensure recruitment efforts attract diverse candidates.

We remain committed to growing a high performing, values-driven and innovative policing organisation that holds the confidence of our community, government and partners.

We will:

• improve the health and wellbeing of our people
• continuously deliver a modern policing agency through organisational reform
• improve productivity and operational effectiveness
• develop leaders to lead change and drive high performance, and
• improve diversity and inclusion to reflect our community.

To support and enable our people to achieve our goals, we continue to be guided by three operating principles:

• support the frontline by providing the frameworks, training and tools for frontline officers to do their jobs effectively
• reduce red tape by reviewing potential barriers to efficient and effective decision-making, and
• enhance partnerships by proactively engaging and working closely with our key partners both in Australia and internationally.

Statement of preparation

I, as the accountable authority for the Australian Federal Police, present the AFP Corporate Plan 2021–2022. This plan covers the four-year period from 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 as required under section 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth). It outlines our environment, priorities, approach, and the results we will deliver.

Reece P Kershaw APM, Commissioner, Australian Federal Police

Home Affairs Portfolio

The Home Affairs Portfolio brings together the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission including the Australian Institute of Criminology, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, and the Office of the Special Investigator.

The Portfolio efficiently integrates Australia’s national security and intelligence community, including functions related to federal law enforcement, national and transport security, criminal justice, emergency management, multicultural affairs, immigration and border management related functions. By design, the Portfolio has enabled a more robust national security posture, enhanced operational capabilities and improved information and intelligence sharing.

Through coordinated strategic policy, planning and sustained joint effort, the Portfolio structure has enhanced our ability to mobilise our workforce, provide surge capacity across agencies, share platforms and break down the common silos that can hinder our ability to rapidly respond. The Portfolio’s structure enables coordinated and effective responses to increasingly complex national security challenges, including responses to all-hazards crises and critical disruptions. Utilising our unique capabilities, powers and activities across all facets of the Portfolio, we are prepared and equally equipped to collectively advance our nation’s interests and contribute to Australia’s economic and social recovery as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Portfolio is well-positioned to achieve the vision of a prosperous, secure and united Australia.

Our purpose

As Australia’s national policing agency, we protect Australians and Australia’s interests.

Our role is to enforce Commonwealth criminal law and protect Commonwealth interests from criminal activity in Australia and overseas. We work closely with domestic and international partners to combat complex, transnational, serious and organised crime impacting Australia’s national security.

Our core functions

• Provide POLICING SERVICES to the Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay and Australia’s external territories
• Policing Commonwealth law, SAFEGUARDING Commonwealth interests and investigation of state offences that have a federal aspect
• Domestic engagement and COOPERATION to disrupt crime and keep Australians safe
• ASSIST international policing and non-government bodies to disrupt crime and support regional security, safety and stability
• PROTECTION of Commonwealth INFRASTRUCTURE, places and property
• PROTECTION of designated high office holders, dignitaries and witnesses
• OFFSHORE peace, stability and security operations, capacity building missions and capability development
• CONFISCATING property or wealth from criminals that has been illegally obtained
• Any other policing function essential to keeping Australians and Australian interests safe including protective and custodial services.

Our strategic operating framework includes our vision, mission, goal, Portfolio Budget Statement outcomes, and operating principles, as shown below.

Vision: Policing for a safer Australia

OUTCOME 1
National and International Policing
Reduce criminal and national security threats to Australia’s collective economic and societal interests through cooperative national and international policing services, primarily focused on the prevention, detection, disruption, investigation and prosecution of criminal activity.

Mission: As Australia’s national policing agency, we protect Australians and Australia’s interests

OUTCOME 2
ACT Policing
A safe and secure environment through policing activities on behalf of the Australian Capital Territory Government.

Goal: Maximum impact on the criminal environment

OUTCOME 3
Specialist Protective Services and International Policing Missions
Safeguarding Australians and Australian interests through the delivery of policing services primarily focused on protective services, aviation policing and international missions.

Operating principles

• Support the frontline: Ensuring staff have the right systems, tools, processes and support to enable them to operate effectively
• Reduce red tape: Ensuring AFP governance and processes enable staff to make timely and risk informed decisions in support of their duties
• Enhance partnerships: AFP operational effectiveness is enabled by mutually beneficial partnerships that recognises that individual agencies’ respective strengths, capabilities and demands

Our operating environment

Threats continue to emerge surrounding global trade, geopolitical tensions, wealth inequality, climate change, political instability and health including the COVID-19 pandemic. These threats have the potential to impact policing via severe weather events, interruptions to essential services, quarantine, and testing and border control requirements. Our work in digital environments is increasingly important. The internet and other technological advancements such as encrypted communication and ransomware continue to enable criminal activity and harm everyday Australians.

To meet the demands of these rapidly evolving environments, we worked closely with government to implement a new funding model. This model enables us to strategically and flexibly use our resources to inflict maximum damage on the criminal environment.

Effective disruption and response to threats is rarely within the scope of one agency – as such, we value our partnerships. We will continue to work with key partners both in Australia and internationally, including state and territory police forces, Commonwealth agencies especially those in the Home Affairs Portfolio, and the Australian intelligence community.

National and International Policing

The frequency, sophistication and evolving nature of cybercrime continues to have widespread impacts on the Australian community and national interests. The AFP has responded, making cybercrime a standalone crime priority and a key focus area for 2021 and beyond. As part of Australia’sCyber Security Strategy 2020, an $89.9 million investment by Government provides significant additional funding for the AFP to bolster its operational capacity, technical capability and enhance its investigative response to combat cybercrime. Cybercrime is borderless and challenges the traditional policing approach. The AFP is tackling cybercrime through strong domestic and international partnerships and continual evolution of our technical, investigative and disruption capabilities.

Terrorism and foreign interference remain an enduring threat to the safety and security of Australians and Australia. Protecting the Australian community from terrorist threats continues to be a high priority for the AFP. Religiously Motivated Violent Extremism is diversifying, and the numbers of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremists is increasing. The release of convicted terrorist offenders into the community and persons prosecuted for terrorism offences is increasing and requires ongoing management to mitigate future risks. The continued management of Australian foreign terrorist fighters who travelled offshore to fight with extremist group remains an ongoing threat. The AFP further continues to prioritise prosecutions for acts of espionage and foreign interference and those targeting unauthorised access of sensitive government information.

The AFP is working closely with domestic and foreign law enforcement and intelligence partners to manage all of these challenges, including undertaking joint operations and sharing of capabilities and intelligence.

Child exploitation is increasingly prevalent and sophisticated. To address this, the AFP and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) continue to identify innovative ways to prevent, disrupt and deter child exploitation. This includes a focus on developing the technological capability required to continue to investigate and pursue child sex offenders and dismantle child exploitation networks. Using a collaborative approach, the AFP and the ACCCE continue to work with our state and territory partners, through the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Teams (JACETS) in some states, and our international law enforcement partners to remove children from the harm of child sexual exploitation and to reduce the incidence and impact of aggravated online child sexual exploitation.

As seen in Operation Ironside, transnational serious and organised crime (TSOC) is technology-enabled and increasingly functions as a business. Working in collaboration with private industry, our national and international law enforcement partners, national intelligence partners and the community is, and must be, an enduring strength to counter this threat. The AFP is implementing the TSOC Strategy Framework to maximise operational impact by making the criminal environment hostile for TSOC to operate.

The AFP uses a multi-agency approach to strengthen the Commonwealth’s capability to respond to fraud and corruption. This includes the AFP working alongside partner agencies to conduct intelligence gathering and investigations. Noting the vast majority of TSOC is profit-motivated, the AFP led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) will aggressively deprive persons and criminal groups of the proceeds, instruments and benefits of offending to undermine the profitability of criminal enterprises. The CACT is aiming to restrain $600 million of criminal assets (in gross terms) in the five years to 30 June 2024.

ACT Policing

ACT Policing will continue its work to transition to a community-focused Police Services Model to address increased demands and the rising complexity of social and crime-related issues to further improve community safety.

This includes further strengthening both Government and non-Government partnerships to ensure a holistic response to criminal offending. Where possible, ACT Policing will seek to identify opportunities to proactively intervene and work with its partners to address the underlying social issues leading offenders to commit crime. This will involve working with Government to ensure responses to family and domestic violence remain victim-focused, but allow for the identification of early intervention opportunities to break the cycle of family violence. ACT Policing will also seek to explore ways to improve its engagement with vulnerable groups, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. This will include working with the community to implement the recommendations provided by the ACT and Commonwealth Ombudsman in their report, ACT Policing’s administrative framework for engagement with the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Specialist Protective Services and International Policing Missions

In 2021–22, Outcome 3 will be fully operational. This realignment of existing protective and international services will further strengthen the AFP’s ability to protect Australia’s interests domestically and internationally.

Threats to Commonwealth infrastructure, aviation, democratic processes and actions against police are expected to remain. Specialist Protective Services and International Policing Missions takes a proactive, flexible and intelligence-driven approach to ensure the safety of individuals and interests deemed by the Commonwealth to be at risk. We will leverage technology and intelligence solutions to enhance their capability ahead of an expected increase in protection requirements.

The AFP will promote regional stability and continue to uplift the capacity of neighbouring countries through international police development missions. The AFP will continue to provide community policing services to the communities of Jervis Bay, Norfolk Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island.

Through the National Operations State Service Centre and National Missing Persons Coordination Centre, the AFP will continue to provide critical connecting and coordinating services. These entities transmit and receive vital operational information to support state and territory partners and the AFP to deliver effective policing outcomes.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the AFP’s operating environment for the near future. The AFP will continue to work with state and territory police on quarantine activities. The AFP will also continue its investigations of fraud arising from economic stimulus measures and of the improper exportation of, and profiteering from, essential goods. At the same time, the operating environment can change rapidly at short notice, so the AFP will continue to provide an agile and multifaceted response.

Our priorities

Our priorities are informed by the Ministerial Directions made under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth) and the AFP Portfolio Budget Statement. They reflect current and emerging threats in our policing and national security operating environments, and we remain highly responsive to these environments. We manage our priorities with deliberate operational strategies and methodologies:

• prevent harm to Australians and Australia’s interests
• minimise harm by disrupting threats at the first available opportunity
• respond to the manifestation of threats in the most efficient and effective manner to minimise harm, enable recovery, promote community resilience and support the rule of law
• enforce criminal law and assist partners to enforce the criminal law.

Priorities for each outcome are outlined below.

National and International Policing

The AFP will prioritise combating serious threats arising from:

• cybercrime
• terrorism and espionage and foreign interference
• child exploitation
• transnational serious and organised crime
• fraud and corruption.

The AFP will expand the influence and reach of its International Network and leverage that influence to prevent and disrupt crime offshore and prevent it coming to Australia. The AFP will continue to further Australia’s international policy goals regarding crime.

ACT Policing

In addition to contributing to the National and International Policing priorities, ACT Policing will work with the ACT Government, partner agencies and community to provide community policing services to the ACT. These services will focus on the following priorities, as set out in the ACT Ministerial Direction:

• Transition to a community-focused policing services model
• Increase early intervention and diversion strategies
• Contribute to Canberra as a restorative city, improving responses to vulnerable groups
• Strengthen the ACT’s response to domestic and family violence
• Work proactively to reduce and prevent alcohol-fuelled violence
• Improve road safety
• Disrupt serious and organised criminality
• Minimise the harm associated with illicit drugs
• Counter the threat of terrorism and violent extremism.

Specialist Protective Services and International Policing Missions

Specialist Protective Services
The AFP will prioritise the protection of threats directed towards:

• Commonwealth protected persons
• Commonwealth assets and critical infrastructure
• designated Australian airports
• our people, capabilities and policing infrastructure.

International Police Assistance and External Territories
The AFP will continue to promote regional stability and improve the policing capability of neighbouring countries through:

• international police development missions
• bilateral training and other learning opportunities
• coordination of police assistance activities across and in partnership with our Pacific partners.

The AFP will provide safety and security through the provision of community policing services to the communities of:

• Jervis Bay
• Norfolk Island
• Cocos (Keeling) Islands
• Christmas Island.

Strategic initiatives and activities

Objective: Improve the health and wellbeing of our people

Objective: Organisational reform to continuously deliver a modern policing agency

Objective: Improve productivity and operational effectiveness

Objective: Develop leaders to lead change and high performance

Objective: Improve diversity and inclusion to reflect our communities

Risk management and oversight

The AFP operates in a complex and dynamic environment which can introduce layers of uncertainty into operational planning and decision-making. The ability to make sound decisions under conditions of uncertainty is a core professional and leadership skill in the AFP. The international standard ISO31000:2018 Risk Management – Guidelines defines risk as ‘the effect of uncertainty on objectives’, which makes managing and engaging risk an essential component of all AFP activities.

All AFP appointees are responsible for managing risks, and may have specific responsibilities to ensure timely implementation of risk management processes in accordance with the AFP risk management framework (the risk framework). The risk framework and supporting / guidance materials are maintained by a central risk and assurance team, with each Command maintaining a register of risks to the achievement of their objectives. Operational and project risk management is also supported and undertaken through the risk framework, along with enterprise-level risk management.

The AFP’s risk framework provides a well-considered and structured basis for engaging and managing risk by focusing on control effectiveness. Quantifying control effectiveness enables a more accurate understanding of the actual risk exposure faced, contributing to good decisions, innovation, efficiency and safety in the achievement of objectives.

Building on the risk infrastructure in the risk framework, the AFP is developing a risk culture strategy in order to enhance understanding and normalisation of sound risk management practices in all aspects of AFP activities. Enhancing risk culture will strengthen risk identification, engagement and management, support informed decision-making, business planning and performance.

Enterprise-level risks to AFP achievement of objectives

The AFP continuously seeks to identify, measure and monitor risks across the agency. A key purpose of risk management at the enterprise-level is to support effective decision-making in circumstances of uncertainty and provide an improved ability to anticipate change, emerging risk and disruption to AFP operations.

The entity-level risk profile outlines the AFP’s key enterprise-level risks, risk leads, key controls, treatments and their effectiveness. The AFP executive boards, in conjunction with the AFP Audit and Risk Committee, governance and business area management, contribute to holistic risk oversight and assurance processes.

There are eight enterprise-level risks managed by the AFP:

Health, safety and wellbeing

Culture, standards and integrity

Operational outcomes

Partnerships and stakeholders

Effectiveness of AFP capabilities

Workforce

Resourcing

Information

Our capabilities and enablers

The AFP’s capabilities and enabling functions support the delivery of priorities and core business activities. Corporate services and specialist support is delivered across the AFP’s three outcomes. Business support partners are in place to support each of the Commands.

The AFP takes a cohesive and strategic approach that aligns bottom-up operational needs with top-down enterprise solutions and opportunities. This approach acknowledges that:

• delivering maximum impact on the criminal environment involves substantially the same capabilities, to varying degrees, regardless of the crime type or operating environment
• multiple operational, technical and support capabilities must align and collaborate to maximise operational effect
• supported by quality leaders, there must be a mix of people, process, tools and technology elements in developing and delivery of capabilities for operational effect
• efficiency and effectiveness is maximised in capability development through shared acquisition, sustainment and delivery approaches
• capabilities must flexibly align to both current and future operating environments, particularly as technology and other elements continue to provide major disruptive opportunities and challenges.

Through 2020–21, the AFP undertook a review of its enabling services. Findings from this review will be used to improve our enabling functions in response to the challenges that arise from our operating environment. Enhancements to the delivery of governance, structures, supporting systems, processes and information management services will enable a more agile, innovative approach to supporting the AFP’s operations.

Our people

The AFP recognises the value of our people and the critical role they play in achieving the organisation’s objectives. We are committed to ensuring we have the right people in the right places, now and into the future.

Our operating environment is broad and dynamic. Delivering maximum impact requires a workforce that can meet current demands and leverage diverse skills, knowledge, and experience to deliver new and innovative solutions to emerging needs.

To achieve this, we will strategically plan and develop the pipelines and programs that build, sustain and continuously shape our people capabilities and capacities.

We remain committed to fostering a culture where our people feel safe, connected and respected. To achieve this, our People and Culture Command is continuing to deliver initiatives that embed cultural awareness and inclusivity, maintain an ambitious approach to diversity, and ensure we formally recognise our people’s achievements and traditions.

We will continue to prioritise the health and wellbeing of our people by building our existing programs through incremental operationalisation of the SHIELD program across the AFP’s various geographic locations. SHIELD responds to our challenging operating environments by evolving our staff health and wellbeing approach. It will deliver new and enhanced capabilities and facilities, with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention.

The AFP Reserve will work in concert with SHIELD, to assist members to transition to retirement and continue their community service contribution. More broadly, the AFP will develop and implement a transition to retirement program for current AFP members including those wishing to continue their service through the AFP Reserve.

Finance and infrastructure

The AFP has robust financial management and reporting processes. Our finance function provides advice and assurance on the strategic management of the AFP’s finances including budget allocation and compliance with internal and external requirements. The AFP has an ongoing commitment to ensure its infrastructure and property supports its current and future capability requirements.

Property is a critical enabler of the capabilities of the AFP and affects all aspects of the organisation, affecting where and how people work and therefore contributing significantly to the AFP’s environment and culture. The AFP’s Strategic Property Plan will provide a framework for all property investment. It informs decisions at an operational, tactical and strategic level.

Technology and forensics

In keeping with the rest of society, crime is more digitised, globalised and connected. Crime now exists as a hybrid of the physical world and the digital world. Our connected world offers criminals and terrorists increased access to potential victims and funds. Modern modes of offending are often hidden and remote, and can impact at a never-before-seen scale and seriousness.

But technological advantages are also available to the AFP. By combining our knowledge of crime and policing powers with modern technologies, we are outsmarting criminal networks with greater speed, reach and impact through innovative prevention and disruption strategies and enforcement of the rule of law. The AFP manages information as an asset, ensuring we enable our frontline members, connect with our numerous partners and work efficiently.

The AFP’s forensics function supports the frontline through science and technology expertise and excellence. It maximises the AFP’s operational effect by providing specialist forensic and technical services to support investigations and operations.

Intelligence

Intelligence provides a picture of the criminal threats and harms relevant to AFP activity. Our functions deliver intelligence to enhance strategic decision-making and operational outcomes, identify gaps in corporate knowledge, convergences in criminal activities and criminal targets.

We share information and intelligence on law enforcement and national security matters with key domestic and international law enforcement partners, where appropriate.

Legal services

The Chief Counsel Portfolio performs a critical role in identifying and managing legal risk for the AFP.

AFP Legal provides independent legal advice and litigation services across the entirety of the AFP’s operations and corporate functions, including services to ensure the AFP meets its freedom of information and privacy obligations. Criminal Assets Litigation is a team of specialist litigators who, as a part of the Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce, undertake proceeds of crime litigation focussed on delivering a maximum impact on crime by depriving persons of the proceeds, instruments, and benefits derived from criminal conduct.

Professional Standards

Our Professional Standards framework supports the AFP to maintain, promote and enhance integrity. This includes a proactive integrity framework incorporating the development and delivery of misconduct and corruption prevention strategies. It also encompasses complaint management through investigation and resolution of misconduct, practices issues and corruption matters.

Strategy and Performance

Our Strategy and Performance Office maximises the AFP’s operational impact by translating the agency’s strategic intent into whole-of-AFP activity. It plays a critical role in managing enterprise priorities, nurturing strategic thinking into reforms and resourcing, facilitating strong enterprise decision-making, and continuously improving outcomes by articulating performance, outcomes and value to the community. It includes ministerial and parliamentary liaison, policy coordination and governance functions supporting the AFP’s strategic direction.

Learning Services

The AFP’s learning services support the AFP to develop and maintain a skilled and capable workforce. Our Learning Command drives the AFP to acquire knowledge, develop skills and create a learning culture that enables us to thrive and outsmart serious crime.

Security

The AFP has a multifaceted approach to safeguarding our people, information, assets and reputation. To operate successfully, it is critical we maintain a strong protective security capability and culture comprising information security, physical security, vetting, security awareness and governance and risk frameworks.

Media and Communication

The AFP strives to maintain an effective, best-practice communications capability to support our people and our operations. The media and communication functions play a key role in promoting AFP initiatives, campaigns and operational successes to internal and external stakeholders.

Performance

The AFP has three funded outcomes in the AFP Portfolio Budget Statement for 2021–22. This year introduces the new Outcome 3 which brings together existing protective and international services. The outcomes state key government and social goals the AFP is responsible for delivering using Commonwealth appropriations.

In 2021–22, AFP performance in delivering these outcomes will be assessed against the 18 performance criteria categorised as producing either operational outcomes or public value. Together, these AFP performance measures seek to demonstrate whether or not the AFP delivered maximum operational impact and value to the community from its activities.

These performance measures are monitored through a range of regular internal reporting mechanisms. The Strategy and Performance Board and other Executive Boards receive regular updates on the performance measures at their meetings. Internal dashboards support these briefings and include both the performance measures as well as complementary indicators to track progress. Operational areas also have crime or function specific dashboards. Operational data tends to underpin the performance measures; for example, data on investigations or incident response call outs are used to calculate specific performance measures.

In addition, the Audit and Risk Committee regularly monitors and advises on the performance suite.

Success measures

Outcome 1

• High community confidence
• ROI – Transnational
• ROI – CACT
• ROI – International
• Prevention case studies
• Disruption case studies
• Disruption count
• Response case studies
• Enforcement case studies
• Prosecution success rate

Outcome 2

• Enforcement case study
• Prevention case study
• Response case study

Outcome 3

• Response times
• Avoidable incidents
• Prevention case studies (Protection)
• Mission evaluations
• Prevention case studies (International)
• Disruption case studies

The specific details for these measures including their targets and rationale are described in the tables on pages 21–23.

The measures set out for 2021–22 will be reported against in the annual performance statement due to be published in October 2022 as part of the AFP’s Annual Report.

Outcome 1: Reduced criminal and security threats to Australia’s collective economic and societal interest through co-operative policing services

Program 1.1: Federal Policing – Investigations
This program aims to reduce criminal and security threats through promoting the safety and security of Australian communities and infrastructure; preventing, deterring, disrupting and investigating serious and organised crime and crimes of Commonwealth significance; and ensuring effective collaboration with international, Commonwealth, state and territory partners.

Program 2.1: ACT Policing
The AFP provides community policing services in the Australian Capital Territory, which deliver in partnership with government and community agencies support for: enforcement of the law, emergency management and community safety; efforts to counter victim-based crime and road trauma, building community resilience against crime and working with the community to prevent and disrupt crime.

Program 3.1: Specialist Protective Services
This program provides police-based protective services to enhance: the rule of law, national stability, workings of key institutions; international relations, national security at designated airports, high profile residential and dignitary locations, specialised events, and protection for official persons.

Program 3.2: International Police Assistance and External Territories
This program provides policing services and/or support for Australia’s external territories and to other nations to enhance the rule of law internationally and general security against transnational criminals. This is facilitated through the AFP’s official development assistance in the Indo-Pacific region, the AFP’s contribution to United Nation’s missions, training programs for police and community policing in Australia’s external territories.