POLICE
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is unique among Australian states and territories in terms of its policing by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). This is done via a five year Policing Arrangement between the Commonwealth and ACT Government.
The mission of ACT Policing is to keep the peace and preserve public safety within the ACT. The policing arrangement requires ACT Policing to achieve one key outcome, i.e. to work in partnership with the community to create a safer and more secure ACT through the provision of quality police services.
Staffing
The ACT Policing, Annual Report, 2005-06 defines the ACT Policing executive structure as being comprised of:
- a Chief Police Officer;
- a Deputy Chief Police Officer - Investigations and Support;
- a Deputy Chief Police Officer - Response; and
- a Director Corporate Services.
ACT police staff consist of
Operational and
Non-operational staff.
Operational police staff, who made up approximately 86% of ACT police staff in 2005-06, are those members of the police force whose primary duty is the delivery of police or police related services to an external customer, such as a member of the public or staff from other government departments. In 2005-06,
Operational police staff made up approximately 83% of all police staff nationally.
According to the Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services (ROGS) for 2006 and 2007, the number of Operational police staff in the ACT increased by 4% between 2000-01 and 2005-06. The number of Non-operational police staff in the ACT increased by 15% over the same period, reflecting a recent trend towards the increased involvement of contracted external providers in some police activities.
9.1 OPERATIONAL AND NON-OPERATIONAL POLICE STAFF(a), ACT |
|  |
| Operational staff | Non-operational staff | Total staff | |
| no. | no. | no. | |
| |
| 2000-01 | 674 | 102 | 776 | |
| 2001-02 | 679 | 102 | 781 | |
| 2002-03 | 699 | 100 | 799 | |
| 2003-04 | 729 | 80 | 809 | |
| 2004-05 | 706 | 96 | 802 | |
| 2005-06 | 698 | 117 | 815 | |
| |
| (a) Comprises all FTE staff. |
| Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services, 2006; Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services, 2007. |
The proportion of female police staff in the ACT has risen slightly in recent years, from 29% in 2000-01 to 32% in 2005-06. Across the states and territories, in 2005-06 the proportion of female police staff ranged from 24% in Western Australia to 34% in New South Wales. Nationally, the proportion of female police staff rose from 28% to 31% between 2000-01 and 2005-06.
