As well as their demanding responsibility for
counter-terrorism in the post-September 11 world, Australian federal
police officers continue to fight a range of other crimes. The Police
Federation of Australia wants those officers better resourced and
funded, and the AFP adequately staffed. Through its CEO, Mark Burgess,
the federation made a strong case for a review of AFP infrastructure
to the Australian Labor Party national conference, ALP – Connecting
with the Community, in Sydney earlier this year. An edited version
of Mr Burgess’s speech appears below.
Debate about national security today is generally focused on terrorism,
and the threat of terrorism. From a policing perspective, this means
the Australian Federal Police.
The Police Federation of Australia holds major concerns about the
current status of federal police, and calls for a full strategic review
of AFP resources.
The scope of the AFP
role has changed profoundly since September 11. Its counter-terrorism
focus has evolved, but not abrogated its responsibility to investigate
other types of crime. In fact, narcotics trafficking, ID fraud, people
trafficking/smuggling and other trans-national crimes remain just
as important and, sometimes, inter-related to counter-terrorism.
Foreign deployments of federal police, as well as those of the states
and territories – in increasing numbers – have become a key component
of the Federal Government’s strategies and policies. The ultimate
outcome is expected to result in greater security for Australia, from
international crime of all types. Government announcements of offshore
deployments have become quite a regular event, even though some concern
exists about the impact such deployments are having on the AFP to
provide an appropriate policing service here in Australia. In the
ACT, in 1979, there were 655 police – today 633.
The PFA calls for a major strategic defence-style White Paper on
long-term AFP scope of mission and funding requirements. The role
of the AFP has changed forever. Major infrastructure decisions need
to be made now to prepare the AFP for the coming decade. A federal
government needs to articulate the future role of the AFP; and a consultative
review process needs to be undertaken to target staffing numbers.
Current funding and staffing arrangements are not adequate and sell
the men and women of the AFP short.
While I don’t want to play down the role of counter-terrorism, I
think it is important to put it into context.
The average Australian, and his or her family, are far more likely
to fall victim to everyday crime than a terrorist attack.
Two years ago, a telephone survey in a southern Sydney federal electorate
ascertained that crime was the single most important issue causing
anxiety to constituents. A further written survey completed by more
than 1,500 respondents showed that:
- 95% thought their local area was less safe than it was five years
earlier.
- 53% felt threatened by gangs in their neighbourhood.
- 93% felt that the police were losing the war against crime.
- 83% were unsatisfied with the police presence locally.
- 91% did not feel safe travelling by train at night, despite the
presence of private security guards on CityRail trains.
Similar surveys in other federal seats in and around Sydney have
shown similar results.
These results are not surprising, when one considers the number of
incidents to which NSW police were dispatched in 2003. They included:
- 112,689 domestics.
- 43,392 assaults.
- 14,974 brawls.
- 29,983 hoodlums.
- 19,617 intoxicated persons.
- 21,188 neighbour disputes.
- 84,375 noise complaints.
- 2,338 armed hold-ups.
- 3,059 assault-and-robberies.
- 3,058 bag-snatches.
- 64,903 break-and-enters.
- 5,746 person-on-premises.
- 7,946 prowlers.
- 376 home invasions.
- 1,191 sexual assaults.
Nationally, there were:
- 159,548 victims of assault.
- 20,961 victims of robbery (including 7,817 victims of armed robbery).
- 394,374 victims of break-and-enter.
- 17,850 victims of sexual assault.
In its final report in October 2003, the House of Representatives
Standing Committee on Economics, Finance & Public Administration Inquiry
into Local Government & Cost Shifting, asserted that: “…there is widespread
community perception that police numbers and services are inadequate.”
Total recurrent expenditure on policing across Australia for the
period 1999 – 2000 was $4,676,231,000. The Commonwealth’s contribution
to that was only $380,000,000, which included ACT policing – slightly
more than 8%.
In a major report to the United States Congress in 1998, the issue
of (US) federal funding for crime reduction was considered. A group
of respected crime researchers reflected on the primary role of the
government in funding crime prevention projects.
The report pointed out that:
Most crime prevention results from informal and formal practices
and programs located in seven “institutional” settings. These institutions
appear to be “interdependent” at the local level, in that events in
one of these institutions can affect events in others that in turn
can affect the local crime rate.
The seven institutions identified in the report were:
- Communities.
- Families.
- Schools.
- Labour markets.
- Places (specific premises).
- Police.
- Criminal justice.
Clear from the report is that federal intervention, in the form of
funding programmes, can bring together all, or combinations of, the
seven institutions. And this applies in the Australian context. Federal
funding to promote crime prevention programmes through local communities
may have a significant impact. Local police and citizens know the
needs of their particular community but, through a lack of funds,
often find it difficult to develop programmes. Creative and innovative
projects could be funded through federal government grants.
The PFA advocates that the ALP – Connecting with the Community
endorse the establishment of an Innovation Grants Programme – funded
by the Federal Government – for programmes aimed at local crime reduction.
The aim of such grants would be to bring together local community
representatives with their police to access federal funds targeted
at crime reduction in their local communities.
A federal government needs a holistic view of policing across this
country to ensure the security of the nation and its communities.
A grants programme for local community policing initiatives, together
with a major review of the AFP, will go a long way toward that objective.
