The Territory and Australian Federal Police have signed an agreement setting out the arrangements for ACT Policing to provide community policing services in Canberra for the next four years.
Welcoming the $800 million agreement, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman said the ongoing collaboration was one of the reasons Canberra was such a safe place to live.
“This arrangement means Canberrans benefit from the skills and resources of the most sophisticated police force in the country while retaining the advantages of a community-focused local police force,” Mr Gentleman said.
“As part of the agreement process, we have also set out a range of shared priorities,” he said.
“These include reducing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the justice system, improving sexual assault prevention and responses, countering terrorism and violent extremism, and combatting dangerous driving.”
Mr Gentleman said ACT Policing and the AFP had also committed to working together on the service delivery changes in raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
ACT Chief Police Officer cNeil Gaughan said he was looking forward to implementing ACT Policing’s mission statement, Policing in partnership for a safer community, over the next four years.
“An important introduction to this Agreement is the creation of an annual CPO’s Statement of Intent – that responds to the Ministerial Direction issued every two years,” CPO Gaughan said.
“My Statement of Intent will spell out the strategies and plans ACT Policing will use to address the ACT Government’s key priorities and the Ministerial Direction.”
The 21-page agreement can be accessed at this PS News link.
