New AFP Chief Issues Strong Warning to Australia's Adversaries: 'Consider Yourselves on Notice'

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Recently appointed Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barrett has initiated her role by sending a warning to individuals, groups, or state actors who aim to instill fear in the community: “We will be taking action.”

In her early days as commissioner, Barrett has revised the agency’s mission statement to incorporate “defend” and protect Australia against domestic and international security threats.

“States are employing criminal proxies to destabilize adversaries,” she stated.

“Put simply, most of our work now and into the future will be aimed at deterring, disrupting, and responding to … active threats, whether overt or concealed. This indicates that we are defending.”

New Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett farewells her predecessor with a salute. Both are dressed in police uniform at a ceremony with other police officials in the background.

Krissy Barrett farewells former AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw during a ceremony in Canberra on Friday. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Barrett has a clear warning to chaos agents seeking to disrupt Australian democracy.

“To individuals and groups out there looking to tear at our social fabric by causing hatred or fear within the community … they are on notice. We will be taking action.”

“Under my leadership, the AFP will maintain a sharp focus on interrupting crimes that affect our sovereignty, our democracy, our social unity, our financial systems, and our future prosperity.”

‘Overlap’ between states and organised crime

Barrett’s first order of business as AFP commissioner has been to establish national security investigations teams across the nation with access to Five Eyes intelligence.

Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand are part of the Five Eyes alliance — which shares espionage, human, cyber and defence intelligence.

“Having access [to that intelligence] is a huge asset in our arsenal,” Barrett said.

“There are scenarios where the AFP may not have the ability to take a particular action, but our partners overseas may.”

According to Barrett, this is crucial in the fight against state-sponsored disruption.

“We have seen a shift in the environment,” Barrett said.

“Where you would traditionally see organised crime keeping to organised crime, you would see state actors using more traditional methods to impact sovereignty in our country. We’re now seeing an overlap.”

“We are observing the direction and payment [for attacks] being shifted to organized crime networks to utilize the systems and networks they already have in place in this country.”

Barrett has vowed to use the AFP’s “international network” to target a known organised crime figure linked to illegal tobacco, who is a “person of interest” in the Adass Israel Synagogue firebombing.

“He is a national security threat to our country,” she said in a statement to AFP staff on Tuesday.

“That means the AFP is targeting him — and his associated criminals and illicit tobacco enterprise.”

Iran’s ambassador to Australia was expelled in August, and on Tuesday, the government announced it would revise terrorism laws to permit the designation of foreign state entities as “state sponsors of terrorism” in direct response to the IRGC’s attacks.

Wars in Gaza, Ukraine causing uptick in violence

In February, during his annual threat assessment, ASIO boss Mike Burgess linked an uptick in antisemitism with Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Burgess mentioned the “normalization of violent protest and intimidating behavior” due to the two-year war in Gaza had reduced the threshold for “provocative and potentially violent acts” towards Jewish Australians.

Anthony Albanese and Krissy Barrett stand at side-by-side podiums in front of a set of open doors, with Australian, Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal flags, as well as two other people, behind them.

Krissy Barrett and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra in August. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Barrett said such events have led to a rise in politically motivated violence — with threats against politicians doubling.

“We are seeing groups and individuals who are looking to cause high harm to our social cohesion and are looking to espouse hatred … because of race or religion,” she said.

“They’re looking to create fear within communities.”

Australia’s antisemitism and Islamophobia envoys have reported a five-fold increase in discrimination and violence against Jewish and Muslim communities respectively since the 2023 attack on Israel.

“Events overseas, in the Middle East, in Russia, Ukraine, even in the US, that does reverberate here in Australia,” Barrett said.

“And I think we’ve all seen that playing out literally on our streets.”

‘Confident’ AFP equipped to tackle youth radicalisation

“That will help … the internet is a really vast space for us to police,” Barrett said.

In recent times, the AFP’s caseload has shifted from mainly religiously motivated extremism to politically motivated extremism.

But its record on deradicalising youth is far from perfect.

Barrett said she “has confidence” in the integrity of AFP officers when engaging with vulnerable youth.

“Our investigators are balancing risk — heavy risk — every single day on behalf of this country,” she said.

“The risks are real. We have seen young people who do have the intent, and they do have the capability to undertake acts of violent extremism, terrorism.”

She said parents should remain confident in the AFP.

“The strong message is: have an understanding of what your child is doing. If there are changes in behaviour, or you have concerns, then you can, you should, reach out to us,” she said.