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Members of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) provide policing services for the ACT under an agreement with the ACT Government. Members of the AFP assigned to the AFP’s ACT Region are engaged in community policing duties under the ACT Chief Police Officer, who is also an AFP Deputy Commissioner.

Complaints made on or after 30 December 2006

The Ombudsman is also the Law Enforcement Ombudsman and can investigate complaints about the actions of AFP members and about the policies, practices and procedures of the AFP as an agency.

Anyone can make a complaint about the AFP, but we encourage you to try to resolve your concerns with the AFP before you make a complaint to the Law Enforcement Ombudsman.

The AFP Professional Standards area is responsible for investigating complaints about ACT Community Policing members under Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979. Where a complaint is of a minor nature, Professional Standards may ask an officer from the relevant area to resolve the complaint by conciliation.

If a person is dissatisfied with the action taken by the AFP in response to their complaint, including both conciliations and investigations, they may make a complaint to the Ombudsman under the Ombudsman Act 1976 (Cth).

Complaints made before 30 December 2006

The Ombudsman and AFP Professional Standards have joint responsibility for complaints made before 30 December 2006 under the Complaints (Australian Federal Police) Act 1981 In most cases, complaints under this Act are investigated by AFP Professional Standards, but the Ombudsman may take over an investigation or, in some circumstances including where a complaint is about practices and procedures, conduct the investigation from the start. Under this Act only the Ombudsman can decide an investigation should not be conducted, although many complaints are resolved by conciliation. The Act provides for disciplinary action against AFP appointees and for the Ombudsman to report following an investigation.