Australian Federal Police at risk before they leave the office: AFP documents reveal deadly risks in office

Australian Federal Police officers have been exposed to accidental gunshots, random exploding ammunition, electric shocks, and hazardous fires before even leaving the “office” to chase any crooks.

They have also had to deal with dangerous workplaces such as police cells that were unusable, boats that were unserviceable, buildings contaminated with illicit drugs, lead dust and asbestos fibres, it has been revealed in a cache of documents released under Freedom of Information laws.

Some officers have even had to deal with the worst situation imaginable, discovering a string of colleagues who have taken their own lives with their police-issued guns mostly in their workplace.

It has been a tough six years for the AFP according to a tranche of never-before-seen documents revealing dozens of incidents so serious that inspectors from workplace watchdog and insurer Comcare were called in to investigate.

The revelations have prompted calls for an immediate audit of the AFP’s workplace health and safety practices as the incoming Commissioner Krissy Barrett is due to take up the new job in October.

Policing expert, Dr Michael Kennedy from the University of New England, said the reports reveal serious questions about the operational competency and politicisation of the force.

Dr Kennedy said the AFP needs to focus on professionalising its force, but the Federal Government must also play a part by introducing a competitive process to choose a commissioner with the experience to lead cultural change, instead of making serial political appointments.

The Comcare Inspectors’ reports were released under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, after a request for reports on workplace demands, pressures, hazards, and site visit findings.

The documents paint a grim picture of police trying to do their job while dealing with a lack of support, resources, and work health and safety.

The President of the Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA), Alex Caruana, said the combined report findings reveal a worrying and persistent pattern of the AFP reacting to workplace health and safety problems only after serious incidents or harm have taken place.

“This pattern not only puts individual officers at risk but undermines the broader safety culture within the AFP. Too many recommendations sit unfulfilled, and risk management appears piecemeal rather than systematic,” said Mr Caruana.

“The failure to anticipate hazards and implement robust prevention measures is unacceptable for an organisation charged with national security.”

Mr Caruana has called for a comprehensive and independent audit of the AFP’s workplace health and safety practices.

“This audit must go beyond surface compliance to identify systemic weaknesses and barriers to effective implementation. It should include a thorough review of mental health support, operational safety procedures, and workplace culture,” he said.

An AFP spokesman said the force had not been prosecuted under Work Health and Safety laws and the AFP “works collaboratively with … Comcare to ensure safety practices continuously improve.”

The documents revealed Comcare investigated five accidental gunshots from glock pistols, while officers were not even on patrol, but in the armouries at airports in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. No-one was injured.

The revelation comes after an AFP long-arm assault rifle was accidentally fired inside Sydney airport in August, during a scuffle with a man the officers were trying to arrest. The stray bullet hit a café oven and wall.

The FOI dump on health and safety comes after the AFP was found to have the second highest insurance premiums, $71 million, in the entire public service.

The documents covering incidents from 2018 to 2025 address a number of suicides by police using their own police-issued gun.

In 2019 after four recent suicides at work, the AFP implemented a range of upgrades including tightened access to armouries and particularly restricting access by off-duty police to their gun.

Four years later, an inspection of armouries in the ACT, Queensland and NSW still showed a lack of risk assessment treatment plans, lack of signage relating to access controls to armouries, lack of wellbeing posters, lack of signage advising CCTV in operation, lock and keys on firearm lockers not replaced.

Mr Caruana said the tragic cases where AFP members have taken their own lives using AFP-issued firearms, highlighted a critical failure in duty of care

“Comcare’s reports clearly show this is not isolated. Despite multiple reviews and recommendations, such as restricting access to the armoury after hours, the AFP has been slow and inconsistent in applying these changes across all areas. This gap in control leaves officers vulnerable when they need protection the most.”

Documents also revealed that there had been issues relating to police not handing back their guns after they had finished their shifts at The Lodge, the prime minister’s residence in Canberra.

A formal register and a supervisor checking system has now been established to ensure firearms are returned at the end of each shift.

One report found the AFP breached its own guidelines by not managing the psychological health impacts on Digital Forensics officers forced to view explicit material.

“The psychological toll on AFP staff exposed to traumatic and explicit material … is severe,” Mr Caruana said.

“This failure isn’t just a procedural oversight. It puts members at risk of serious harm . . . Officers exposed to graphic content need timely, regular psychological support to maintain their wellbeing.”

The elite Special Response Group suffered a number of incidents in which a bullet exploded, and a throw-down munition (less than lethal, such as a flash bang grenade) exploded at Majura in Canberra when police were preparing to go out on an operation.

The AFP was found to have breached the Work Health And Safety Act and had to revise carry and transport procedures. It has since bought pouches for safer transport and developed a training package after having to consult with Defence, Victoria Police, Queensland Police and the Australia-New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee.

“Comcare’s report on an accidental discharge of less-lethal munitions in the SRG shows serious gaps in handling and transport safety,” Mr Caruana said.

In offshore locations police were forced to work with substandard infrastructure. On Cocos Island, the police cells had no water, lighting or air conditioning and were unusable. The CCTV used to monitor detainees also didn’t work. The Comcare report warned that if any detainee held in the cells would be at risk — but so too were the officers if the detainee was violent — they would have to guard them in a cell with the door open for ventilation.

Inspections found the Christmas Island patrol boat was inoperable and awaiting for approval for repairs. Officers raised concerns that if there was a water rescue or other incident the AFP would not be able to respond adequately.

An officer who discovered asbestos fibres in their rented Solomon Islands’ home, was told to clean it up “carefully” and given no training or instruction or subsequent support.

There was illicit drug contamination in the AFP offices in Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane and contractors had to be brought in to manage the risk and clean the offices.

Ten complaints were made about two officers and two children being exposed to lead dust. An inspection found there was no lead awareness training for workers.