ADF INVESTIGATIVE SERVICE OPEN FOR BUSINESS

The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support, the Hon. Dr Mike Kelly AM MP, officially opened the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Investigative Service headquarters in Canberra today.

“I am pleased to be here today as the ADF Investigative Service represents a significant advance in policing and investigation within the ADF, and plays a key role in enhancing military justice,” he said.

The ADF Investigative Service brings together around 150 specialist policing personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force, and provides the ADF with the capability to undertake complex and more serious disciplinary and criminal investigations, within Australia and on military deployments overseas.

“ADF investigators are highly skilled and undertake training and secondments with a number of agencies, including the Australian Federal Police and State and Territory police forces,” he said. 

“Their training, qualifications and the specialist equipment they use puts ADF investigators on par with their civilian police counterparts.

“The ADF can be assured that it has a robust investigative capability benchmarked against the Australian Government Investigations Standards,” he said.

The ADF Investigative Service is independent from the single-Service chains of command in that its head, Provost Marshal ADF, Colonel Tim Grützner, reports directly to the Chief of Defence Force for operational policing matters.

ADF investigators are currently deployed on operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Timor- Leste and the Solomon Islands ready to undertake timely investigations and preserve evidence as the need arises. A Major Incident Team is also on standby to travel at short notice to augment the deployed investigative capability in the event of a serious military incident in Australia or overseas.

The establishment of the integrated ADF Investigative Service is a major outcome of the 2005 Senate inquiry into military justice.

Media contacts:

Mark Sjolander (Dr Mike Kelly):   02 6277 4840 or 0407 102 220

Defence Media Liaison:               02 6265 3343 or 0408 498 664