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by Auspelia. . 1 reads.

Police and "Civilian" Intelligence Agencies

Police Forces:

Law enforcement in Auspelia is divided into three different levels; Federal, state/territory, and local.

Federal: On a Federal level, the Auspelian Federal Police (AFP) is the main law enforcement agency. It has a very wide mandate to enforce Auspelian criminal law and protect national interests. In addition, there are a number of other federal agencies that have powers confined to specific areas, such as national security (ASIS), customs and immigration (ABPF), and white-collar crime (ATD, ACC, ASIC). Each branch of the Auspelian Armed Forces (AAF) has its own military police, although there is also an overarching AAF Investigative Service for more complex investigations. The AFP is responsible for the investigation of federal offenses (crimes against Auspelia) and has federal jurisdiction throughout Auspelia. They provide protective services to federal government property and personnel/dignitaries, including major airports, buildings, foreign embassies/diplomats etc., and provide state-styled law enforcement services to external territories and the Capital Territory of Auspelia, the only one of the major mainland territories to not maintain its own state/territory police force. The boundaries between the two levels of law enforcement are somewhat flexible and both state and federal police co-operate on or transfer cases between each other depending on the specific circumstances. State police can enforce federal, state and local laws, but federal police cannot enforce state or local laws.

State/Territory: As each state and territory has its own laws when it comes to criminal activity and policing, general law enforcement duties are the responsibility of state police forces, who are in turn responsible to a government minister (usually the Minister for Police and Security). These forces carry out the bulk of general policing throughout the entire state, including in metropolitan areas. Other state-government departments may also have investigative powers for specific offenses within their purview. The Northern Territory also has its own police force, but in some of Auspelia's other territories (including in the Capital Territory of Auspelia), law enforcement is handled by the federal government and the Auspelian Federal Police.

Auspelian state and federal police routinely carry firearms. While on duty, most officers' duty belts consist of a handgun, a Taser, an expandable baton, pepper spray, a set of handcuffs, ammunition magazines, gloves, torch, and a two-way radio. Local governments have their own smaller force of authorized officers – known as council rangers – to enforce local laws pertaining solely to individual local government jurisdictions. Council rangers generally do not have full police powers (unless they are sworn as special constables). In addition, all federal and state police vehicles have firearm lockboxes located in them consisting of Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifles, bulletproof vests, and a shotgun. Officers carry the keys to access the lockbox with them at all times.

Auspelian Border Protection Force (APBF): The Auspelian Border Protection Force is a law enforcement agency, part of the Homeland Security Office, responsible for offshore and onshore border control enforcement, investigations, compliance and detention, as well as offshore refugee processing operations in Auspelia. The APBF uses a "big data" analysis ecosystem to monitor people and cargo entering and leaving Auspelia. This includes the use of machine learning capabilities across a range of analytical platforms that draw together multiple data sources to provide insights. The Central Movement Alert List (CMAL) is an electronic watch list, containing information about individuals who pose either an immigration or national security concern to the Auspelian Government as well as information on lost, stolen or fraudulent travel documents. CMAL comprises two databases, the Person Alert List (PAL) and the Document Alert List (DAL). The PAL database stores the biographical details of identities of concern and DAL is a list of lost, fraudulent or stolen travel documents. PAL records are categorized according to the reason for listing the identity—the alert reason code (ARC). There are 19 ARCs with each being categorized as high, medium or low risk. The APBF receives Passenger Name Record data from airlines operating into and out of Auspelia. PNR data is information about passengers that is held by airlines on their computer reservation system. PNR data includes approximately 106 different fields such as passenger name(s), sex, passport number, nationality, travel companions, frequent flyer Information, date and place of ticket issue, contact phone numbers, credit card number and expiry date, number of bags, seat allocation, and the passenger's full itinerary.

The ABPF uses a number of different vehicles and equipment including patrol vessels, drones, helicopters, as well as aircraft.

ABPF officers are highly visible in airports and seaports around Auspelia and all officers in the APBF carry firearms.

Intelligence Agencies:

Auspelia has 3 major "civilian" intelligence agencies. These are the Auspelian Security Intelligence Service, the Auspelian Intelligence Agency, and the Auspelian Signals Security Agency. All three agencies are under the direction of the Homeland Security Office or H.S.O. In addition, the Auspelian Border Protection Force is also under the direction of the H.S.O.

Auspelian Security Intelligence Service (ASIS): ASIS is Auspelia's national security agency responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically motivated violence, attacks on the Auspelian defense system, and terrorism. ASIS is comparable with the British Security Service (MI5) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). ASIS has a wide range of surveillance powers to collect human and signals intelligence. Generally, ASIS operations requiring police powers of arrest and detention under a warrant are coordinated with the Auspelian Federal Police and/or with state and territory police forces. The special investigative powers available to ASIS officers under a warrant signed by the Attorney-General include:

*interception of telecommunications,
*examination of postal and delivery articles,
*use of clandestine surveillance and tracking devices,
*remote access to computers, including alteration of data to conceal that access,
*covert entry to and search of premises, including the removal or copying of any record or thing found therein, and
*conduct of an ordinary or frisk search of a person if they are at or near premises specified in the warrant.

The Director-General also has the power to independently issue a warrant should a serious security situation arise and a warrant requested of the Attorney-General has not yet been granted. An ASIS officer may, without a warrant, ask an operator of an aircraft or vessel questions about the aircraft or vessel, its cargo, crew, passengers, stores or voyage; and to produce supporting documents relating to these questions. Controversially, the ASIS is immune from prosecution under any circumstances.

Under the Counterterrorism Act, 2015, the ASIS is also awarded the following powers during the investigation of a suspected or actual terrorist threat:

*the compulsory questioning of suspects,
*the detention of suspects by the Auspelian Federal Police, and their subsequent interrogation by ASIS officers,
*ordinary, frisk or strip search of suspects by AFP officers upon their detainment,
*the seizure of passports, and
*the prevention of suspects leaving Auspelia.

ASIS also has the power to collect foreign intelligence within Auspelia at the request of the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Minister for Defence. Known as Joint Intelligence Operations, and usually conducted in concert with the Auspelian Security Bureau the purpose of these operations is the gathering of security intelligence on and from foreign officials, organizations or companies. All ASIS officers carry firearms.

Auspelian Intelligence Agency (AIA): The AIA is Auspelia's foreign intelligence agency, comparable to the CIA in the United States or the British MI6. Not much is fully known about the personnel or operations of the AIA, as much of it is classified and it remains as one of Auspelia's most shadowy and secretive government organizations. A government press release has stated however that the AIA is responsible for "the collection of foreign intelligence, including both counter-intelligence and liaising with the intelligence agencies of other countries." Under the Counterterrorism Act, 2015, AIA officers were granted the ability to carry firearms and to detain "potential or actual threats to Auspelia, or Auspelian national security interests as well as immunity from prosecution." The phrasing of this statement was heavily criticized as the wording is subjective as well as extremely vague and many thought it gave the AIA wide-reaching powers and due to immunity from prosecution, they could not be held to account. Kenneth Dowell, a member of the Auspelian Green Party said that the "the powers given to the ASIS, AIA, and the ASSA under the Counterterrorism Act, 2015 have effectively turned Auspelia into a police and surveillance state, the likes of which have not been seen since East Germany during the height of the Cold War."

Auspelian Signals Security Agency (ASSA): The ASSA is Auspelian government agency/service responsible for foreign signals intelligence, support to military operations, cyber warfare, and information security. Developed in the early '50s alongside its sister organization in the United States, the NSA, the ASSA cooperates heavily on joint SIGINT operations with the NSA. Under the Counterterrorism Act, 2015, the ASSA was controversially given extremely broad powers to collect information and intelligence on Auspelian's both in Auspelia and around the world. The ASSA assists with the ECHELON program alongside its partner agencies in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In addition, it has been reported that many Auspelian embassies and overseas missions also house small facilities which provide a flow of signals intelligence to ASSA. Like the ASIS and the AIA, the Auspelian Signals Security Service has been awarded immunity from prosecution under the Counterterrorism Act, 2015.

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