Australian Protective Service
The APS was created by the separation of the Uniformed Protective Service component of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) into a new agency based upon recommendations contained in the Stewart Royal Commission of Inquiry into Drug Trafficking.
Following an extensive review in 2002–2003 and as a result of the September 11 attacks, the staff and functions of the APS were reintegrated into the AFP in mid–2004 as part of Australian Government efforts to better coordinate the national response to terrorism.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) came into existence in 1949, absorbing some of the functions of the Commonwealth Investigations Service and assuming new areas of responsibilities.
As previously mentioned, prior to 1960, Federal Law Enforcement was carried out by two organisations, the Commonwealth Investigative Service and Peace Officer Guard.
Plain clothed operations were normally restricted to members of the NSW Region Escort Response Group (ERG) and the more recently introduced Air Security Officers (Sky Marshals).
However, Protective Service members in locations such as Darwin deployed regularly in the mid to late 90s to escort Immigration detainees, usually in civilian attire to blend in on domestic aircraft.
As a result it was decided to recombine the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the APS in order to ensure the closest possible co-ordination between two of Australia's key counter terrorist agencies.
Their primary function remains the protection of sites of significance across Australia including Parliament House in Canberra; the residences of the Prime Minister and Governors-General; Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth; the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Joint defence facilities such as the Australian Defence Force Headquarters in Canberra, Holsworthy Barracks, Garden Island Naval Base, Victoria Barracks, the Pine Gap US defence installation, plus a number of sensitive covert locations in Australia and internationally.
Protective Service Officers have sworn powers under Section 14 of the AFP Act 1979 to stop, request identification, search and arrest within their designated jurisdiction.
The peacekeeping force suffered their first casualty on 22 December 2004 when PSO1 Adam Dunning was shot and killed while deployed on official duties in the Solomon Islands.
[7] The $2.8 million training facility at Majura (Google Maps -35.250362, 149.207547) just outside Canberra, has been designed to replicate situations in regional countries to which personnel might be assigned.
