Desperately seeking savings, performance and accountability: policing options for the Australian Capital Territory

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the primary advantages and disadvantages associated with the various options for providing community policing services to the Australian Capital Territory.

The paper commences with an analysis of the factors currently influencing the ACT policing environment. It then evaluates, from both the ACT and Commonwealth perspectives, the four most realistic options for providing policing services to the ACT community. The paper then concludes with a number of suggestions about pursuing the most viable of these options. It should be noted from the outset that this is not an evaluation of the Australian Federal Police's performance in the ACT. Any analysis of ACT policing options must, however, consider the pros and cons associated with the AFP providing policing services under the current Policing Arrangement. The AFP's performance under the Policing Arrangement forms the bench mark for assessing alternative ACT policing options. It should also be noted that this paper considers a range of issues which extend well beyond the ACT. These include the responsiveness of Australian police services to changing government and community expectations, the changing nature of community policing, and the future of the AFP as the Commonwealth's primary law enforcement agency.