Complaints and compliments
ACT Policing is the community policing arm of the Australian Federal Police (AFP). ACT Policing is responsible for providing quality and effective policing services to the people of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). We do this in partnership with the community and the ACT Government.
We pride ourselves on being a values-driven organisation. Our core values of integrity, commitment, excellence, accountability, fairness, respect and trust represent our principles and standards – the values we uphold in our professional duties.
Complaint process
You can make a complaint to any member of the AFP, your local police station or via an online form. All complaints are treated confidentially, and are resolved in accordance with the AFP National Guideline on Complaint Management.
Complaints are categorised and forwarded to the relevant area of the AFP for resolution.
Minor complaints relating to discourtesy, minor misconduct and underperformance issues will be actioned by managers within the workplace and will generally involve an independent AFP appointee engaging directly with the complainant to resolve the issue.
Minor complaints can commonly be resolved through explanation of the law, explanation of police practice or by bringing the complainants concerns to the attention of the AFP appointee who is the subject of the complaint. The AFP Resolution Team oversees outcomes of minor complaints.
Serious complaints will be investigated by the AFP Professional Standards portfolio.
The Commonwealth Law Enforcement Ombudsman is required to inspect AFP complaint records and report to the Australian Parliament, commenting on the adequacy and comprehensiveness of how the AFP has dealt with conduct and practices issues, as well as its handling of inquiries ordered by the relevant minister.
Complaints relating to corruption matters will be referred by the AFP Commissioner to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) for appropriate action.
You can find out more about our complaint management process at afp.gov.au.
Reporting a complaint or compliment
ACT Policing aims to provide quality and effective policing services to the people of the ACT. Our members are highly trained to deal with incidents of criminal activity. With each incident there is an element of customer service and we welcome all feedback, both positive and negative.
If you would like to provide positive feedback about an ACT Policing member, you can do so via our feedback page.
Alternatively if you are unhappy with the service you received from any member of ACT Policing in the course of their duties, you can:
- Complete an online form
- Attend or telephone any AFP police station or office.
ACT Policing recognises that our community communicates in a range of ways. For those who require assistance in making a complaint to ACT Policing, the following services may be of use:
Help with translating and interpreting
The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) is an interpreting service to help people who do not speak English in their daily lives, and for agencies and businesses to communicate with their non-English speaking clients.
Contact TIS National on 131 450 (within Australia) or for more information, please visit the Translating and Interpreting Service website.
Help making a telephone call
If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can make contact through the National Relay Service.
Text telephone (TTY) or modem callers can contact the National Relay Service (NRS) on 133 677 (within Australia).
If it is hard for you to understand on the telephone you can use the Speech to Speech Relay (SSR) via the NRS on 1300 555 727 (within Australia).
NRS Chat (Internet Relay) users connect to the National Relay Service and ask for (02) 5127 2020.
