Australia

AFP Commissioner: Reece Kershaw
Edmund Barton Building,
Kings Avenue
Barton ACT 2600
Phone: +61 2 5126 0000
Email: [email protected]

The AFP’s mission in Indonesia is the largest in the AFP’s international network, comprised of 30 personnel. The AFP provides capacity building support such as investigative support and forensic assistance to POLRI, including specialized counterterrorism police Densus 88 or D88. AFP engagement with D88 takes place in Jakarta with members of the executive and headquarters. In 2014 new ‘people-to-people’ capacity building activities were initiated between POLRI and AFP, including inviting junior POLRI officers to participate in long-term secondments with the AFP. It is unknown how much the AFP contributes financially to this capacity building support, or who is involved.

In 2011, the Australian government donated 3 sophisticated patrol boats worth USD $5 million to POLRI. A further USD $2 million was added for operational costs for the vessels. At the same time, an amount of USD $4.8 million was donated to POLRI’s Cyber Crime unit.

High speed patrol boats donated to POLRI

The Attorney General’s department confirmed that Australia supports POLRI, including D88, through training, education, equipment and technology. The type of ‘equipment and technology’ has not been clarified. Between 2010 – 2012 the AFP gave D88 motor vehicles, office and telecommunications supplies and computer equipment valued at AUD$314,500. In 2016 the AFP provided additional equipment to D88 ‘to increase their counter terrorism capacity’, including computer equipment, vehicles and office furniture. The Attorney General’s Department has denied supplying weapons to POLRI, including D88. 

There is little publicly available information about the equipment the AFP provides to POLRI. The AFP report that they do not provide annual funding to POLRI but that the allocations they do provide are solely intended for use in counter-terrorism capacity. Since May of 2021, members of the West Papuan resistance known as Organisasi Papua Merdeka or OPM have been designated as ‘terrorists’ by Indonesian government decree. This designation would free up any 'counter-terrorist' AFP funding for use against West Papuans suspected of supporting independence.