The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity
Australian Government
Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity
What is ACLEI’s role?
ACLEI, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, is led by the Integrity Commissioner. ACLEI investigates law enforcement related corruption issues, and focuses on systemic and serious corruption.
The Integrity Commissioner’s role is to detect, investigate and prevent corruption in the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Staff members of the former National Crime Authority are also subject to the Integrity Commissioner’s scrutiny.
The office of the Integrity Commissioner, and ACLEI, were established by the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006.
“ACLEI aims to understand corruption AND prevent IT.”
What investigation powers does the Integrity Commissioner have?
The powers available to the Integrity Commissioner include:
- coercive information-gathering hearings;
- telecommunications interception and data access;
- electronic and physical surveillance;
- controlled operations;
- search warrants; and
- scrutiny of financial transaction records.
How does the Integrity Commissioner deal with corruption issues?
Information about corruption comes from members of the public, members of law enforcement agencies, and from ACLEI’s own detection initiatives. The ACC and AFP must also report corruption issues to the Integrity Commissioner.
The Integrity Commissioner decides how each corruption issue is dealt with.
The Integrity Commissioner can choose from among options in dealing with a corruption issue, according to the circumstances. The options are to:
- investigate the corruption issue independently;
- investigate the corruption issue jointly with another agency;
- refer the corruption issue to the law enforcement agency for internal investigation (with or without management or oversight by ACLEI);
- refer the corruption issue to another agency, such as a State integrity agency, the AFP, or another Government agency, for investigation; or
- take no further action.
The Integrity Commissioner will investigate where there is advantage in ACLEI’s direct involvement, for example if a coercive hearing were desirable, or if an independent investigation were beneficial.
Evidence collected by ACLEI may be used in disciplinary proceedings, and in appropriate cases can be used in criminal prosecutions or for the recovery of the proceeds of crime.
Is the Integrity Commissioner independent?
Yes. The Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006 ensures that the Integrity Commissioner and ACLEI remain free from political interference. The Integrity Commissioner:
- is appointed by the Governor-General and cannot be removed arbitrarily;
- is appointed for a once-only term of up to 5 years;
- can commence investigations on his or her own initiative; and
- can make public statements, and can release reports publicly.
The Minister may ask the Integrity Commissioner to conduct a public inquiry, but cannot direct how inquiries or investigations will be conducted.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on ACLEI oversees the performance of the Integrity Commissioner. The Committee comprises five Members of Parliament and five Senators.
What are the Integrity Commissioner’s other functions?
The Integrity Commissioner reports publicly each year on patterns and trends in corruption in law enforcement agencies. To control corruption risks, the Integrity Commissioner may make recommendations for laws or agency practices to be changed.
Who can give information to ACLEI?
Any person, including members of the public and law enforcement officers, can give information to the Integrity Commissioner. Information can be given in confidence or provided anonymously.
Any information that raises a corruption issue can be investigated by the Integrity Commissioner. The Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006 provides protections against reprisals where information is provided to ACLEI in good faith.
Due to the sensitivity of some investigations, ACLEI may not be able to provide investigation updates until all inquiries are completed.
Where a concern about the conduct of a Commonwealth law enforcement officer does not relate to corruption, members of the public can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman or the agency’s Professional Standards officer for assistance.
Help us to combat corruption
ACLEI aims to maintain and improve the integrity of Commonwealth law enforcement agencies by ensuring that corrupt conduct is detected and that corruption risks are minimised.
You can help. Contact ACLEI if you wish to know more about providing information about corruption by:
telephone: (02) 6229 9300
fax: (02) 6230 7341
email: contact@aclei.gov.au
writing to: GPO Box 305, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
You can learn more about ACLEI by visiting www.aclei.gov.au
Service standards
Any person who has a concern about his or her dealings with ACLEI should first raise the issue with ACLEI. Should a person remain dissatisfied, complaints about ACLEI can be made to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
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