AFP chief talks AUKUS, election integrity and radicalisation with global security partners

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw will meet British and US counterparts to brief them on the new AUKUS Command, set up to protect the nuclear submarine program.

The AFP has been tasked with shielding AUKUS secrets and protecting key personnel, technology and submariners. Picture: Australian Federal Police

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Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw will meet British and US counterparts in Europe next week to brief them on the AFP’s new AUKUS Command, established to secure the nation’s nuclear submarine program.

The AFP, which is working closely with the Department of Defence and Australian Submarine Agency, has been tasked with shielding AUKUS secrets and protecting key personnel, technology and submariners.

Ahead of next year’s federal election, Mr Kershaw will also hold meetings with law enforcement heads of countries where elections have recently been held to discuss election integrity and the “ongoing and persistent threat of foreign interference”.

Amid a wave of extremism fanned by digital platforms, ­Australia’s top cop will raise domestic cases of youth radicalisation with security agency heads “who have provided the AFP with ­information”.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw will next week travel to London, Paris and Glasgow for high-level meetings discussing AUKUS, election integrity, radicalisation and child exploitation. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Mr Kershaw, who recently had his term extended until October 2026, will meet with Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group security chiefs in Glasgow, and also travel to Paris. “I will outline to relevant partners the AFP’s role in AUKUS, which will help protect and secure Australia’s nuclear submarine program. The AFP is working closely with the Department of Defence and the Australian Submarine Agency, and already the AFP has provided key protection to US submariners on recent visits to Western Australia,” Mr Kershaw said.

In the wake of foreign interference reports ahead of next week’s US election, Mr Kershaw said the sharing of information between security agencies was key to identifying common threats and emerging issues.

“Some law enforcement officials I will meet with have already had general elections in their countries, so their insights and experiences will be valued as Australia is due to hold a federal election by May 2025,’’ he said.

“Many agencies throughout the world are also grappling with an ongoing and persistent threat of foreign interference. Australia is no different and while the AFP has been world-leading in targeting foreign interference, it is imperative we ensure we learn from other nations’ experiences.”

Following a series of extremist-linked incidents earlier this year and rising social cohesion concerns associated with the Middle East conflict, Mr Kershaw said he would discuss the scourge of radicalisation with counterparts.

“I intend to raise Australia’s recent cases of youth radicalisation with partners and thank those who have provided the AFP with information. Our children can be entrapped by extremists who live a world away, so information sharing is key to keeping Australians safe.”

AFP assistant commissioner Dave McLean – who has responsibility for the Americas, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Europe – has been nominated by Mr Kershaw and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus as Australia’s candidate to sit on the executive committee of Interpol.

Mr Kershaw will attend Interpol’s general assembly in Glasgow next week to participate in the vote for two Asia region positions, which are also being contested by candidates from China, India, Iran, Qatar, Vietnam and South Korea. He will discuss “high-value targets and threats impacting on Australia” in meetings with police chiefs from Vietnam, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, The Netherlands, South Africa and Colombia.

In addition to meeting Scotland’s top police officer Jo Farrell, Mr Kershaw will travel to London to address the Virtual Global Taskforce, a frontline international alliance established to counter child sexual abuse. The AFP next month assumes a three-year term as chair of the VGT, which is currently led by the UK National Crime Agency and consists of 15 law enforcement agencies.

Mr Kershaw, a former child exploitation investigator, said he was focused on ensuring “end-to end encryption does not impact the number or quality of online child exploitation reports referred to law enforcement agencies”.