ACT Policing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from ACT Police)

Template:Short description Template:DMCA Template:DMCA Template:Short description

Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.

ACT Policing
Common nameACT Policing
AbbreviationACTPol
MottoWorking together for a safer community
Agency overview
Formed19 October 1979
Preceding agencyPage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Australian Capital Territory Police (1927)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionAustralian Capital Territory, Australia
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found.
Australian Capital Territory Police jurisdiction
Size2,358 km2 (910 sq mi)
Population453,324 (December 2021)[1]
Governing bodyGovernment of the Australian Capital Territory
Constituting instrumentsPage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Australian Federal Police Act 1979, Section 8
  • ACT Policing Arrangement, 14 June 2006
  • Purchase Agreement for the Provision of Policing Services to the ACT
General naturePage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
Operational structure
HeadquartersWinchester Police Centre, Belconnen, ACT
Sworn members731 (June 2023)
Unsworn members270 (June 2023)
Minister responsiblePage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Mick Gentleman, Police and Emergency Services
Agency executivesPage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Neil Gaughan, Chief Police Officer, Deputy Commissioner
  • Doug Boudry[2], Deputy Chief Police Officer, Assistant Commissioner
Units
7
  • Specialist Response Group (SRG)
  • Criminal Investigations (CI)
  • Traffic Operations
  • Crime Reduction
  • Forensic Services
  • Water police
  • Rural patrol
Districts
2
  • North District
  • South District
Services provided byAustralian Federal Police
Uniformed asAustralian Federal Police
Facilities
Stations
5
Watch houses
1
  • City Watch House
Patrol carsYes
Motor bikesYes
Special purpose vehiclesYes
Push bikesYes
BoatsYes
DogsYes
HorsesNo
Notables
PeoplePage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
ProgrammesPage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
Website
www.police.act.gov.au
Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."ACT Policing Annual Report 2022–2023" (PDF). Australian Federal Police. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.

ACT Policing is the portfolio of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) responsible for providing policing services to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian Capital Territory Police was an independent police force responsible for policing the ACT until 19 October 1979, when it was merged with the Commonwealth Police to form the AFP.

History

In 1911, the ACT was proclaimed as the seat of Australian government, then the Federal Capital Territory under Commonwealth Government administration. Until 1927, the New South Wales Police patrolled what was mostly rural bushland, except for a small and slowly expanding capital city of Canberra. By the mid-1920s plans were well underway to move Parliament and several Commonwealth Government departments to Canberra and many public buildings were on the verge of being constructed.

In 1926, the Commonwealth Attorney-General determined that policing in the Territory should be performed by a local force. In 1927, the Federal Capital Territory Police was formed and staffed by 11 men, 10 former Commonwealth Peace Officers and the former NSW Police Sergeant, who had been in charge of the NSW Police contingent in Canberra. The force soon changed its name to the Commonwealth Police (Australian Capital Territory), until 1957 when it formally adopted the name, Australian Capital Territory Police Force. In July 1972 the Aboriginal tent embassy set up by Gary Foley and other notable activists was torn down by ACT police forces for the first time, however many more tents were set up and again torn down by the ACT police.

On 19 October 1979, as a result of a Commonwealth Government restructure of Australian national policing services, the ACT Police Force amalgamated with the Commonwealth Police to form the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The AFP assumed responsibility for policing the ACT, retaining the role to this day, notable as the ACT attained a degree of self-government in 1989. ACT Policing currently consists of around 1,015 people of which 731 are sworn police, 270 unsworn and 14 PSOs.

Female officers

In January 1947, the chief of the Canberra Police advised several applications were received for a police woman position, having previous police experience, and knowledge of child welfare work, but not with any military provost experience.[3] The first female officer was appointed to the force on 18 April 1947,[4] the first of two positions, from more than twenty applicants.[5] In plain clothes, they were also originally appointed as probation officers under the Juvenile Offenders (Probation) Ordinance. By 1976 the ACT Police had 563 male and 17 female officers.[4]

Organisation

Winchester Police Centre in Belconnen

ACT Policing consists of five police stations (patrols) located in the Canberra town centres of Belconnen, City (Civic), Woden, Tuggeranong and Gungahlin Joint Emergency Service Centre. Police Constables based at these stations provide general duties community policing for the ACT. Uniformed Road Policing members work from the Road Policing[6] Centre in Hume which opened in June 2023 and primarily focus on road safety and traffic law enforcement within the ACT.

The Winchester Police Centre, Benjamin Way, Belconnen, is the ACT Policing Headquarters. The Complex houses ACT Policing's Executive, administrative and support sections and elements of the Criminal Investigations area (CI).

The complex is named in memory of the former Assistant Commissioner Colin Winchester APM, the head of the then ACT Region (ACT Policing) of the AFP. Assistant Commissioner Winchester was murdered outside his house in early 1989.[7]

Major specialist units

Criminal Investigations (CI) provides a detective function for the ACT, and is located at each of the main police stations (being Tuggeranong, Gungahlin, Woden, Belconnen and City) and the Winchester Police Centre.

AFP Specialist Protective Command[8] provide a full-time tactical response capability, through the Tactical Response Team,[9] in addition to search and rescue, public order management (riot control), police dogs and bomb response functions.

Rank and structure

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".

As distinct from the majority of AFP Members engaged in duties outside of ACT Policing, who under AFP Commissioner's Order 1 (Administration), are titled Federal Agents, police Members of ACT Policing (and some other AFP portfolios) adopt traditional ranks:

Those who have sufficient experience and have demonstrated the appropriate competencies are designated as a Detective.

Chief police officers

Canberra City Police Station

The title 'Chief Officer' was first used by Lieutenant Colonel Harold Edward Jones from 1927 until his retirement in 1943. During his tenure, Jones also held the positions of Director of the Commonwealth Investigation Bureau and the Superintendent of the Peace Officer Guard. Jones' successor, Robert Reid, was appointed solely to head the ACT Police Force. Subsequent commanders of the ACT Police Force used the title Commissioner until the force was amalgamated with the Commonwealth Police in 1979 to form the AFP.

Rank Name Post-nominals Term began Term ended
Chief Officer of the ACT Police Force
Chief Officer Harold Edward Jones OBE Template:Dts Template:Dts
Chief Officer Robert Reid Template:Dts Template:Dts
Commissioner Edward 'Ted' Richards LVO Template:Dts Template:Dts
Commissioner Leonard 'Len' Powley Template:Dts Template:Dts
Commissioner Roy Wilson MVO, QPM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Commissioner Reginald 'Reg' Kennedy QPM Template:Dts Template:Dts
AFP Assistant Commissioner for the ACT
Assistant Commissioner Alan Watt Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Val McConaghy Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Colin Winchester APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Brian Bates APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Chief Police Officer of ACT Policing
Assistant Commissioner Brian Bates APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Peter Dawson APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Commissioner Michael Palmer AO, APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner William Stoll APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Deputy Commissioner John Murray APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Deputy Commissioner John Davies APM, OAM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Audrey Fagan APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Michael Phelan APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Rudi Lammers APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders APM Template:Dts Template:Dts
Assistant Commissioner Ray Johnson APM Template:Dts Template:Dts[10]
Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan   APM  Template:Dts[10] Template:Dts[11]
Deputy Commissioner Scott Lee APM  Template:Dts[11] Incumbent

During Assistant Commissioner Bates' tenure, at the time of ACT self-government commencement in 1989, the title Chief Police Officer was resumed to denote the head of ACT Policing. Whilst remaining within the AFP command structure, the CPO also became accountable to the ACT Government for policing outcomes in the ACT.

In 2001, the position and title of Deputy Chief Police Officer was created. The first incumbent, between 2001 and 2002, was Assistant Commissioner Denis McDermott APM, followed by Assistant Commissioner Andrew Hughes APM between 2002 and 2003. Assistant Commissioner Hughes performed the duties of the Chief Police Officer for most of the period between the death of Assistant Commissioner Fagan APM and the appointment of Assistant Commissioner Phelan APM in 2007.

Between 2003 and July 2021, the title of Deputy Chief Police Officer has been used by both Commander rank deputies of the ACT Policing Executive. The position of Deputy Chief Police Officer is now held by an Assistant Commissioner.[12]

Vehicles

See also

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."National, state and territory population – December 2021". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."AFP restructures to reflect growing criminal threats". Australian Federal Police. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Local woman preferable for police post". The Canberra Times. Vol. 21, no. 6, 172. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 20 January 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 19 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."50th Anniversary". The Canberra Times. Vol. 51, no. 14, 488. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 20 September 1976. p. 48 (50th anniversary supplement The Canberra Times). Retrieved 19 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Police women for Canberra". The Canberra Times. Vol. 21, no. 6, 327. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 19 July 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 19 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."New Road Policing Centre opens in Hume". Justice and Community Safety Directorate. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jarrett, Janice (October 1999). "Murder of Assistant Commissioner Winchester". Australian Federal Police. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."AFP Jobs". jobs.afp.gov.au. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."AFP Jobs". jobs.afp.gov.au. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Maddocks, Tom; Lowrey, Tom (29 April 2020). "ACT Chief Police Officer Ray Johnson quits to join Georgeina Whelan at ESA after devastating bushfire season". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  11. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Australian Federal Police (28 March 2024). "AFP appoints new Deputy Commissioners". Australian Federal Police. Australian Federal Police. Retrieved 14 July 2024. Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett will manage the National Security portfolio, and Deputy Commissioner Scott Lee has become the substantive Chief Police Officer of the ACT, following the retirement of Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan.>
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Deputy Chief Police Officer". Australian Capital Territory Policing. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2023.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found.

Retrieved from "http://cosmopedia.co/index.php?title=ACT_Policing&oldid=1107087"