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Editors --- "Programs increase awareness, cooperation, and help fight crime" [2000] AUFPPlatypus 14; (2000) 67 Platypus: Journal of the Australian Federal Police, Article 7


Programs increase awareness, cooperation, and help fight crime

‘Strategic Alliances and Law Enforcement Cooperation are the only way we will be able to combat the illicit drug trade, money laundering, people smuggling or any other crime that has an international flavour”

(Commissioner Mick Palmer, addressing the Police Commissioners' Conference, Canberra, March 2000)

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By Sam Malone, Coordinator, Law Enforcement Cooperation Program

Strong international law enforcement cooperation plays a vital role in many AFP operations and has been an integral part of some of our most highly successful outcomes which have resulted in hundreds of kilograms of heroin and cocaine being stopped from reaching Australian shores as well as the dismantling of international organised crime syndicates.

Such cooperation, however, does not emerge overnight — goodwill and understanding of how other law enforcement agencies operate must be cultivated through long-standing relations which build knowledge, education and communication between the officers of those agencies.

The AFP has two programs which aim to increase awareness between countries and assist in enhancing cooperation in fighting crime: the Law Enforcement Cooperation Program, which focuses on fighting the international trade in illicit drugs, and the Law Enforcement Assistance Program which concentrates on combating crime involving areas other than illicit drugs.

A vital part of both these programs is the AFP's international liaison officer network. Officers in the network form the link between countries, facilitating exchange of information as well as enhancing communication and understanding by attending international conferences and seminars, promoting programs under the LECP, and building a rapport with law enforcement officers of their host country.

The LECP was established by the Federal Government under the second instalment of funding provided under the National Illicit Drug Strategy when $5.749 million was allocated over a four-year period from July 1, 1998. It complements the AFP's mobile strike teams introduced in April 1998 as part of the ‘Tough on Drugs' strategy and further strike teams funded in later instalments from the National Illicit Drugs Strategy. The strike teams have boosted efforts to dismantle higher level drug syndicates involved in illicit drug importation and aim to attack all aspects of a syndicate's operations including finance, transportation, distribution networks and money laundering, and have had significant success since their inception. The quality and level of cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the various countries involved in such international operations is crucial in achieving such successful outcomes and is greatly enhanced by programs which foster stronger links through providing opportunities for multi-lateral communication and training.

The LECP initially involved countries in the Asia Pacific region but as it is seen as such an integral part of international law enforcement cooperation a further $8.082 million, to be allocated over a four year period, was made available last year to enable it to expand globally. It aims to improve both the cooperation and capacity of overseas law enforcement agencies within our region while assisting the AFP in developing law enforcement intelligence leading to the interdiction of illicit drugs before they reach Australia and detecting, disrupting, and prosecuting those responsible.

The LECP aims to: strengthen the capability of foreign law enforcement agencies to gather information and evidence against illicit drug traffickers through modest education and training programs for the practitioner and modest provision of equipment; develop a greater capacity to meet Australia's international priorities by being able to more effectively gather international law enforcement intelligence to support AFP operations; improve law enforcement infrastructure of specified countries within the program; improve operational understanding dealing with international crime; and foster closer personal and institutional linkages.

These key aims will be achieved by funding programs to provide short-term attachments to Australia and exchanges between Australia and other countries for operational law enforcement officers, and where applicable some English language training. It is also planned that a series of education and training programs be delivered in Australia for participating countries while a smaller proportion of the funding will be used for the participation of partner agencies and the AFP at international conferences and seminars and towards modest purchase of equipment for lesser developed countries.

The AFP's international liaison officers work very closely with the LECP, playing a key role in the implementation of LECP/LEAP activities. Through the formulation of Business Plans that include LECP interventions, they are able to develop, progress and direct activities that provide the AFP with desirable and measurable outcomes. This directly strengthens both personal and organisational relationships in which the liaison officers are able to initiate LECP activities, foster a climate of cooperation and trust with foreign law enforcement agencies and enhance the reputation of the AFP.

The LECP Business Plans and Action Plans are monitored by its Board of Management and the AFP Monitoring Committee to evaluate the success of activities in the program. The program falls under the responsibility of the AFP's National Operations and the Board of Management includes General Manager National Operations Federal Agent Mick Keelty; General Manager Learning and Development Federal Agent Rod Leffers; Director International and Operations Federal Agent Andy Hughes and the Director of Learning and Development Federal Agent Terry Butler.

Program activities

Since its inception some of the activities funded under the LECP have included:

• Positions on the Management of Serious Crime Course for international law enforcement agencies.

• Positions on the National Strategic Intelligence Course for international law enforcement agencies.

• The delivery of an International Management of Serious Crime Course in Vanuatu in 1999 (two more courses are scheduled for this year and 2001) and to the Solomon Islands.

• The delivery of a Law Enforcement Intelligence Course in Singapore for its law enforcement agencies.

• Short term attachment of an AFP analyst to the Joint Inter-agency Task Force West in Alameda, California.

• Short term intelligence attachment of an AFP member to the Indonesian National Police.

• Short term intelligence attachments to Avian Strike Teams from Indonesian National Police and Hong Kong Police.

• Drug Technical Investigations training for Royal Malaysian Police and the Indonesian National Police.

• Surveillance training for the Royal Thai Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau.

• Short term criminal intelligence attachment to the Royal Solomon Islands Police.

• Official visits to the AFP from law enforcement agencies from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, United States, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom.

• AFP LO conferences conducted in Bangkok, London and United Arab Emirates.

• Scholarships for the People's Republic of China Police Force.

Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP)

Another crucial component of the AFP's international crime fighting strategy is the Law Enforcement Assistance Program which does not have a drugs focus but whose activities mirror those of the LECP.

Activities are funded from third party donors, for example AusAID, who is the major contributor to LEAP. Activities include sexual assault and child abuse investigations training, intelligence and forensic programs delivered to South Pacific Forum countries under the Regional Law Enforcement Capacity Development and Cooperation Program, and programs such as language training and reciprocal exchanges with the Indonesian National Police under the auspices of the Government Sector Linkages Program.

But success also has its own challenges and the AFP is finding that the LECP and LEAP programs have grown to an extent where the capacity to deliver and support their activities is becoming increasingly difficult. One of the proposed strategies to overcome this hurdle is to deliver training activities on a multilateral basis in key regional areas such as SE and SW Asia and the Pacific. The AFP is also entering into partnership arrangements with academic institutions to provide training programs in Australia and overseas as well as looking at the possibility of establishing an Australian Federal Law Enforcement College. Through the existing network of international strategic alliances with overseas law enforcement partners the AFP could, along with countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom link into and share training facilities and resources such as: The International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) in Hungary (FBI) and Thailand (DEA); The FBI Federal Law Enforcement Training Centre (FLETC); The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) of the UK; The United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP).

Initiatives

The LECP and LEAP team is keen to gain a broad cross-section of proposals to ensure the programs' continued growth is comprehensive, relevant and in keeping with current trends. To enable the collection of such proposals, AFP members interested in making suggestions for initiatives which could be progressed under either the LECP or the LEAP are encouraged to submit their ideas. They can be either discussed initially with the program managers or submitted as electronic or hard copy.

The LECP/LEAP Team consists of:

Coordinator International Cooperation Mr Sam Malone, Phone 6275 7522, Fax 6275 7567, E-mail: sam.malone@afp.gov.au

Program Manager Asia Region, Federal Agent Mark Walters, Phone 62757079, Fax 62757567, E-mail: mark.walters@afp.gov.au

Program Manager, Pacific and Rest of the World, Mr Chris Barnes, Phone 62757425, Fax 6275 7567, E-mail:chris.barnes@afp.gov.au

Mrs Diane Osborne, Phone 6275 7554, Fax 6275 7567, E-mail:diane.osborne@afp.gov.au


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