TODAY marks an important day for national security with the opening of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Operations Centre and Canine Operations Centre in Cairns.
This new facility provides the AFP with a world-class capability to protect the travelling public.
The Operations Centre was officially opened by the Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch, on behalf of the Minister for Justice Michael Keenan, with AFP Assistant Commissioner Leanne Close.
“The Coalition Government’s priority is the safety and security of Australians and we will continue to do all we can to protect our community,” Mr Entsch said.
“With the national terrorism alert level revised from medium to high it is vital that the AFP is adequately equipped to maintain high-level service around our international airports.”
The new facilities include an Emergency Operations Centre, Airport Police Operations Centre, training and exhibit handling facilities, muster and interview rooms and a canine centre.
The Emergency Operations Centre will allow the coordination of emergency responses to incidents should they arise within the airport precinct, and the canine teams play an important role in aviation security and are an integral part of the AFP’s function in protecting security at Australian airports.
Since funding of more than $130 million was dedicated to these upgrades by the Howard Government in 2007, AFP Aviation Operations Centres in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney have now all been officially opened at Australia’s major airports.
“The Coalition Government is taking strong action to equip our security and border protection agencies with the resources and powers they need to detect and disrupt activities that threaten our country, and to keep Australia safe,” Mr Entsch said.
