David Connery - Australian Strategic Policy Institute - Responding to a rapidly changing policing...
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Transcript of David Connery - Australian Strategic Policy Institute - Responding to a rapidly changing policing...
A long time coming: The case for a Commonwealth
White Paper on Law Enforcement
Web: www.aspi.org.au
Blog: www.aspistrategist.org.au
Twitter: @DavidKConnery
Dr David Connery
My argument
• The Commonwealth’s cabinet needs to make a high-level policy statement about its expectations in the area of law enforcement
– To deal with four main drivers of change
– Meet seven major challenges
– And lay the basis for a broader discussion with State and Territory governments about national law enforcement challenges and responses
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Scope
• White papers – start or end of a conversation?
• Forces of change
• Key challenges for Commonwealth law enforcement agencies
• Options other than a White Paper?
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White papers provide high-level policy guidance to agencies
• White papers aim to provide a ‘definitive’ statement of the Commonwealth government’s position on a policy issue – Can take a systemic view (police/law enforcement/justice?)
– Never the last word: events create change
• Might be signed by PM as chair of cabinet, or a minister with Cabinet endorsement – So they are authoritative
– But they create risks in development and delivery
• Might be developed within a department, or by an external consultant/panel
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Commonwealth law enforcement has been reviewed in the past
• It’s not virgin territory – ‘Report on the Review of Commonwealth Law Enforcement
Arrangements’ 1994
– Federal Audit of Police Capabilities (Beale Review) 2009
– National Commission of Audit 2014
• But none have been Cabinet documents – The 1994 review covered Commonwealth law enforcement
– Beale was comprehensive but focused on AFP
• And there’s been major organisational changes since Beale: – ACC role, extended ASIO heads of power, ABF
– Greater inter-jurisdictional cooperation, task forces
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Significant forces are changing the law enforcement environment
• Increasing expectations – For personalised service – For greater collaboration to more complex crimes – For response to the ‘issue de jour’ AND the big-issues
• The expanding importance of international forces for Australia’s society, economy and political interests
• Managing the results of incremental, evolutionary and reactive changes in the law enforcement system
• Long-term budget deficits
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These forces lead to challenges for law enforcement in general
• Dealing with demand – For products and services provided by organised
crime
– And demand for police services in general
• Managing long-term responses to terrorism, financial crime and cybercrime
• Managing and dealing with the challenge of new technology
• Building law enforcement skills and capability
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…and some for the Commonwealth in particular
• Identifying the optimal demarcation (or collaboration) between and among Commonwealth, national and state/territory responsibilities
• Sustaining law enforcement involvement in foreign policy
• Funding within and for our agencies (what don’t you do?)
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Budgeting is an inexact science AFP funding – actual vs planned 2006-07 to 2017-18
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800000
900000
1000000
1100000
1200000
1300000
1400000
1500000
1600000
1700000
1800000
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2014-15 (MYEFO)
Actual
AFP funding: Actual vs planned
Are there other options?
• There’d better be!
• Focused gap testing – Use discussions and exercises to examine key
areas for rub points or gaps: and make commitments to fix
• Agency strategic plans – Based on close collaboration with other agencies
– Noting that might be hard as agencies progress at different paces
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A white paper would help produce law enforcement capability
• Allow functions to be compared and analysed across agencies
• Ensure Cabinet agreement to the system and its resources
• Bridge ministerial gaps
• Provide a starting point for Commonwealth discussion with states and territories
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What’s an ‘ASPI’?
• Independent, not-for-profit think tank based in Canberra
• Company limited by guarantee with one shareholder (Dept. of Defence)
• Broad focus on defence and national security
• National security programs including: – Cyber policy
– Border security
– Counter-terrorism
– Resilience
– Strategic policing and law enforcement
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