Police organisation
Australian Federal Police
The Commonwealth police force, which also delivers community policing to the Australian Capital Territory on the ACT Government’s behalf.
At a glance
- Official name
- Australian Federal Police (AFP)
- System
- Australia
- Level of government
- Federal
- Kind of body
- Federal police force
- Status
- Currently operating
- Official website
- https://www.afp.gov.au/ — confirmed against the organisation’s own pages on 26 July 2026.
- Facts last checked against sources
- 13 September 2026
What it is
Section 8(1)(a) of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 makes the provision of police services in relation to the Australian Capital Territory a function of the AFP, subject to section 8(1A), under which the Commonwealth Minister and the ACT may arrange for that provision. ACT Policing is, in the AFP’s own words, "the community policing arm of the AFP", providing services to the Territory "on behalf of the ACT Government". The ACT therefore runs no police force of its own — the contrast with the Northern Territory, which does.
What it covers
Commonwealth. Additionally the Australian Capital Territory, under an arrangement rather than by ownership.
Broad responsibilities
- Commonwealth policing
- Community policing in the Australian Capital Territory, on behalf of the ACT Government
Elsewhere on this site
- Who polices what — how Australia is structured, against other systems
Other organisations to compare
- Victoria Police — Australia
- Northern Territory Police Force — Australia
Where this connects
Institutions: National police.
Sources
Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth)
Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au) · Legislation · 1979 · link verified 2026-07-26
The statute constituting the Australian Federal Police as the Commonwealth police. Supports that a function of the AFP under s.8(1)(a) is 'the provision of police services in relation to the Australian Capital Territory', subject to s.8(1A), which lets the Commonwealth Minister and the ACT arrange for that provision — the statutory hook for the AFP delivering ACT community policing. The register serves the section text through a single-page application; the section wording was obtained by search retrieval of the official page, and the arrangement itself is quoted from the AFP's own ACT-Policing page (read directly). No verbatim quotation of the Act is asserted from a page not read in full.
Australian Federal Police (afp.gov.au) · Institutional (self-description) · link verified 2026-07-26
The AFP's own page, read in full. Supports that 'ACT Policing is the community policing arm of the AFP' and that its job is to provide policing services to the Australian Capital Territory 'on behalf of the ACT Government'. Establishes that the ACT runs no police force of its own — its community policing is delivered by the Commonwealth AFP under an arrangement — which is what makes the ACT's policing `contracted` rather than `own`.