Federal budget 2017: AFP gets $321.4 million to hire additional personnel

Police and security staff stand in front of the Sydney Opera House after it was evacuated due to a police operation January 14, 2016. Reuters/Matt Siegel

Federal budget 2017 will reportedly allocate $321.4 million to the Australian Federal Police so it can perform a hiring spree of anti-terrorism specialists and boost security arrangements. These include forensic scientists and negotiators, tactical response officers and bomb squad technicians.

The AFP is expected to hire up to 300 additional personnel. Some high-tech recruits are likely to focus on combating threats from terrorism while others are expected to prevent international crime syndicates as well as drug importers associated with local gangs.

The funding will be rolled out over the next four years. The Federal Government said it will not affect funding from other areas to grant the extra money.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan describes the move as the "largest single domestic policing funding boost in a decade.” The minister told ABC that organised criminals, specifically those involved in the drug trade, continue to advance their operations.

“And we need the AFP to be a high-tech organisation, with the skills sets available to it to meet these threats,” Keenan told the ABC. He assured that risks and threats to Australian interests will remain to be a priority for the agency.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security previously suggested national security agencies, like the AFP, to be exempted from the annual funding cuts. Keenan assured that is not going to happen as no agency is exempt from the efficiency dividend. Per the ABC, the additional funding will create the following jobs.

Specialist response capabilities: Police negotiators, tactical response officers, bomb response technicians and canine resources specialising in drug, cash and explosive detection.

Covert physical and technical capabilities: Physical surveillance teams, covert online investigators, undercover operation members and police technical teams.

Forensics and intelligence capabilities: Digital forensics, crime scene investigators, firearms and armoury specialists, biometric experts, forensic intelligence analysts, and operational intelligence professionals.

The West Australian reports that AFP will hire over 100 tactical response and covert surveillance operatives, 100 extra intelligence officers and almost 100 forensic specialists. Keenan was confident that the funding will make AFP more capable and flexible in responding to emerging crimes today and into to the future.

The minister went on to add that the AFP funding is only a first step towards the agency’s plan to deliver a new vision that will map its long-term priorities and guarantee it has the tools, skills, training and capabilities necessary to ensure security of Australians. Keenan said it was a very significant investment.