Australian Federal Police

What Australian Federal Police does

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is Australia's national policing agency and primary federal law enforcement body, established in 1979 under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979. It operates as a statutory agency under the Attorney-General's portfolio, funded through federal government appropriations with no commercial revenue model. The AFP investigates crimes against Commonwealth laws, provides community policing to the Australian Capital Territory under contract, and conducts counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, and national security operations. Its operational footprint spans all eight Australian states and territories (headquartered in Canberra with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, and Hobart) plus international liaison in 30+ countries through partnerships with INTERPOL, Europol, Five Eyes agencies, and Pacific-region law enforcement.

The AFP delivers its mandate through six core operational divisions: ACT Policing (community policing in the ACT), Aviation Policing (airport and aviation security), the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI, investigating alleged ADF war crimes in Afghanistan), AFP College (training), and the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM). Core services include National Police Checks, online crime reporting via ReportCyber, missing persons coordination, airport security, and international law enforcement coordination. The agency has demonstrated operational scale through seizures including approximately $1 billion in combined drug seizures, 2.7 tonnes of cocaine in Australia's largest-ever bust (estimated street value A$816 million), and the dismantling of 15 major international money laundering syndicates through Five Eyes cooperation.

The AFP employs 5,001-10,000 personnel and is led by the AFP Commissioner, who reports to the Attorney-General and is accountable to the Australian Parliament. Its customer base is exclusively governmental — the Australian public as recipients of policing services, state and federal agencies as operational partners, and foreign law enforcement agencies as multilateral cooperation partners. The agency's revenue model is entirely appropriations-based, with services delivered at no direct cost to end users (emergency response via Triple Zero 000, Police Assistance Line 131 444, online crime reporting portals). The AFP has recently expanded into Pacific-region joint operations (including a 2026 Joint International Investigations Team in Colombia with the Colombian National Police, NZ Police, and Australian Border Force) and counter-terrorism operations following the 2024 Bondi terror attack, and is currently subject to a Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion examining pre- and post-incident intelligence and policing failures.

Name

Australian Federal Police

Legal name

Australian Federal Police

Website

https://afp.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Australian Federal Police is Australia's national policing agency, a statutory Commonwealth entity providing federal law enforcement, counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, and community policing to the ACT, with operations across all Australian states and 30+ countries internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Law Enforcement

NAICS

Police Protection (92212), Police Protection (922120), National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Police Services (Patrol, Response & Community Policing) (BPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Border Security & Homeland Security (BPAIAHAI), Law Enforcement & Police Academy Training (EDAOAMAA), AML/CTF & Sanctions Screening for Markets (Broker/Exchange Monitoring) (FSAFAKAE)

Keywords

• Federal law enforcement
• Counter-terrorism operations
• Organised crime investigation
• Cybercrime prevention
• National police services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Australian Federal Police is Australia's national policing agency providing federal law enforcement services including criminal investigations, counter-terrorism operations, cybercrime prevention, drug trafficking disruption, child exploitation prevention, fraud and corruption investigation, aviation security, and community policing for the Australian Capital Territory. The agency coordinates with state police forces, international law enforcement partners including INTERPOL and Europol, and operates a global network spanning 30+ countries.

Product overview

The Australian Federal Police is Australia's national policing agency providing law enforcement services rather than commercial software products. Its core service offerings include National Police Checks (for individuals and organisations), crime reporting systems, airport and aviation security, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), cybercrime reporting via ReportCyber, and missing persons coordination. These services operate as distinct operational functions within a unified law enforcement agency, serving both Commonwealth criminal matters and community policing in the ACT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACT Policing
• National Police Checks
• Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE)
• Aviation Policing and Airport Security
• Cybercrime Reporting (ReportCyber)
• International Law Enforcement Coordination
• Office of the Special Investigator (OSI)
• AFP College and Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM)
• Missing Persons Coordination
• Criminal Assets Confiscation

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colombian National PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Joint International Investigations Team established in Colombia with AFP, New Zealand Police, Australian Border Force, and New Zealand Customs joint funding to disrupt illicit drug shipments entering the Pacific region.
• INTERPOLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational criminal police organization enabling cross-border law enforcement cooperation. AFP participates in Virtual Global Taskforce hosted by INTERPOL.
• EuropolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union law enforcement agency coordination partnership for combating transnational crime affecting Europe and Australia.
• Virtual Global TaskforcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law enforcement alliance hosted by INTERPOL targeting online child sexual exploitation through coordinated global operations.
• Queensland Police ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState law enforcement partner in Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce conducting major drug smuggling investigations including Operation Minjiang targeting 3.1 tonnes of cocaine and methamphetamine importation.
• Victoria PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState law enforcement partner in joint operations including Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) investigating synagogue arson attacks and Operation Bruce Cremorne for drug trafficking.
• NSW Police ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState law enforcement partner in joint counter-terrorism teams and coordinated law enforcement operations across New South Wales.
• Australian Border ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommonwealth agency partner in border security operations including drug detection at ports and airports, and coordinated investigations into importation offences.
• ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic intelligence agency partner in counter-terrorism investigations, joint counter terrorism teams, and national security operations.
• Solomon Islands Police ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific partner agency that detained the Belize-registered cargo ship MV Wealth in Solomon Islands as part of international drug smuggling investigation.
• Thai PoliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law enforcement partner in Operation Firestorm investigating scam centers near Cambodia-Thailand border, including discovery of mock AFP office in O'Smach compound.
• UK National Crime AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in West African meth bust investigation where UK woman was charged alongside Australian-based couple for 320kg methamphetamine importation from Ghana.
• Ghana Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGhanaian law enforcement agency conducting parallel investigation into 320kg methamphetamine shipment concealed in charcoal containers allegedly originating from Ghana.
• United States DEAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS Drug Enforcement Administration involved in international drug trafficking investigations and intelligence sharing.
• Philippine National PoliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilippine law enforcement partner in child rescue operations, including recovery of six children from an Albany man accused of child abuse offences.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Europol: The EU law enforcement agency with which AFP has a strategic coordination partnership. Indirect peer as a counterpart international agency rather than a direct competitor.
• INTERPOL: The international criminal police organisation that AFP is a member of and cooperates with via the Virtual Global Taskforce. Indirect peer as a coordinating body rather than a competing agency.

Direct peers

• Australian Border Force: Australia's border security agency and an explicit AFP partner in port/airport drug detection and import investigations. Direct peer in border-related crime enforcement.
• New South Wales Police Force: Australia's largest state police force and an explicit AFP partner in joint counter-terrorism teams and coordinated NSW operations. Direct domestic peer given overlapping jurisdictional responsibilities.
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): Canada's federal police service. Highly comparable as a Five Eyes partner national policing agency with similar mandates in federal crime, organised crime, and international liaison.
• New Zealand Police: New Zealand's national police service. Direct peer as a Commonwealth/Five Eyes national policing partner that AFP cooperates with on joint operations (e.g., Colombia JIT) and that has a comparable operational footprint.
• UK National Crime Agency (NCA): The UK's lead agency against serious and organised crime. Direct peer in mandate and structure, and an explicit AFP partner in drug trafficking investigations (e.g., West African meth bust).

Regional players

• Singapore Police Force: A national police agency in the Asia-Pacific region with comparable counter-terrorism, transnational crime, and cyber mandates. Indirect peer given geographic proximity and shared regional threats.

Broad incumbents

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): The US federal law enforcement and domestic intelligence agency. Directly comparable as a national-level federal police force with overlapping mandates in counter-terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, and international operations.
• US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA): The US federal drug enforcement agency. Comparable as a national-level agency with a primary focus on drug trafficking — the same operational priority area where AFP has recorded its largest seizures and arrests.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afpmedia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AustFederalPolice
• Facebookfacebook.com/australianfederalpolice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/162586
• Instagraminstagram.com/ausfedpolice

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Federal Police