More than 70 police officers from state and territory police service have joined the AFP this past year, increasing the operational diversity and experience of the organisation.
These lateral recruits undergo a training program at the AFP College in Barton to gain familiarity with Commonwealth legislation and AFP procedures, a course which takes up to 10 weeks.
Upon graduation, the new AFP officers are deployed to a range of commands and locations across Australia, joining other police and protection officers recruits who graduated this financial year.
These officers have been assigned to diverse a range of specialised areas within the AFP, including investigating transnational organised crime, money laundering investigations, airport policing, counter terrorism teams and cybercrime, reflecting the key areas of focus for the AFP.
Commander Foundational Development and Learning, Alison Buck said a program supporting the building of frontline policing numbers was critical to combat the challenges of the evolving criminal environment.
"This is a dynamic time for the AFP - and unique in terms of the policing challenges we are facing - and building our capacity and capability is even more important as we strive to protect the Australian community," she said.
"The breadth of skills and experience from our lateral recruits will be an asset for the AFP moving forward, and we hope this program also sets them on a pathway of continual development throughout their careers with us and beyond."
The AFP has members located in 33 countries around the world, offering police the opportunity to serve in critical roles that benefit AFP investigations, as well as those of our Australian law enforcement partners.
Most organised criminal and online-related investigations have an international aspect, and the AFP's ability to link into foreign law enforcement is something that benefits our partners and Australia as a whole," Commander Buck said.
Detective Sergeant Andre Nant joined the AFP in 2010 with 15 years of policing experience.
Since joining the AFP, Detective Sergeant Nant has worked in diverse areas and locations, such as organised crime investigations, fraud investigation task force and deployed to the Solomon Islands, Cyprus and Vanuatu, as part of the AFP's International Command.
Detective Sergeant Nant said he joined the AFP to broaden his professional experience as a police officer and experience different policing environments.
The AFP has given me the opportunity to work across a broad variety of crime types with international reach, honed my skills as an investigator, allowed me to travel internationally to experience different cultures, building partnerships and honing their policing skills in the process."
Acting Commander Investigations Northern Command Adrian Telfer joined the AFP in 2021 after serving in the New South Wales Police Force for 21 years.
In his time serving with the AFP, Acting Commander Telfer has worked in Covert & Technical Operations, Airport Policing, Investigations and Operations & Support.
Acting Commander Telfer said he wanted to join the AFP to seek the opportunities a national and international policing organisation like the AFP has to offer.
"With our international network, the AFP is really unique in law enforcement in Australia in both the complexity and breadth of investigations we undertake," he said.
AFP officers have rewarding, challenging careers in one of the most adaptive, effective and advanced police forces in the world.
If you want to join the AFP visit https://jobs.afp.gov.au
