Our frontline services support more than 71,000 law enforcement officers in crime prevention and day to day operations with access to policing systems. These systems enable police agencies to rapidly access and share essential policing information with each other in relation to persons of interest, vehicles and firearms and ballistics.
Our National Police Reference System (NPRS) enables Australian police agencies to share essential policing information and intelligence with other police agencies. The data within NPRS is also available through the National Criminal Intelligence System.
The NPRS is specifically designed to equip operational police, anywhere in the country, with the intelligence they need to make on-the-spot decisions when dealing with persons of interest. It provides key reference data to support police officers, investigators and analysts. This includes important information about persons of interest to alert police about whether a person is likely to be dangerous or wanted for other offences.
The NPRS provides Australian police with detailed, current and accurate national police information that they can access from handheld devices, in-car terminals and desktop computers.
The system is available to more than 71,000 law enforcement officers across Australia. It provides access to more than 13.2 million records and 13.5 million photographs and records core data such as:
- name
- identity information and photographs
- information on warnings, warrants and wanted persons
- offence history
- protection and violence orders
- firearms involvements
- information relating to the child protection register
- information on missing persons, unidentified persons and bodies, and escapees.
The National Vehicles of Interest (NVOI) system assists frontline officers to record and enquire on both local and interstate vehicles of interest. The system also allows users to access search services provided by the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS) hosted by Austroads. Searches can be conducted on stolen, suspect, wanted, recovered vehicles and vehicle components that make up all or part of a vehicle.
NEVDIS in turn links to state and territory registration and licensing authorities. The NVOI system’s integration with NEVDIS also allows for comparison of vehicle ownership, vehicle registration/description information and national driver licence holder information to be accessible via the NVOI channels.
The ACIC’s National Firearm Trace Program is used to determine the history of seized firearms referred to us by police agencies and, where possible, to determine the method of diversion to the illicit market through the collection and use of serial number structure, importation data and historical dealer records.
Our agency consolidates the information and creates a national picture of the firearm types in the Australian illicit firearm market – including the criminal use and source of illicit firearms – and supports partner agency investigations.
The program is a unique service that supports international obligations and allows our law enforcement partners to submit illicit firearm trace requests. Law enforcement personnel can access the trace request form through their home system.
The National Firearms Identification Database (NFID) is a nationally agreed standard that helps Australian police identify and record firearms in a consistent way. The database is used to identify and characterise a firearm, using details such as make, manufacturer, model, chambering and magazine capacity.
The database assists in ensuring a firearm is described consistently during its registration, during importation or during transfer of ownership and movement across state and territory borders.
The database is available for the public and can be accessed via nfid.acic.gov.au.
The Australian Firearms Information Network (AFIN) helps police and other law enforcement agencies manage the registration, licensing and movement of firearms coming into Australia and moving between our states and territories.
AFIN provides intelligence and information on a national level about each firearm in Australia known to police and law enforcement agencies, enhancing the current intelligence available.
The Australian Firearms Information Network is referred to as the National Firearms Interface in the Australian Crime Commission Regulations 2002 (ACC Regulations), Regulation 2A(2)(l). A reference to the Australian Firearms Information Network is a reference to the National Firearms Interface for the purpose of the ACC Regulations and the definition of National Policing Information in the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002.
The Australian Ballistic Information Network (ABIN) provides intelligence to police across Australia to help them electronically match crime scene ballistic evidence to the weapon used in the crime. It also links crimes if the same firearm is used at multiple scenes.
ABIN builds on existing ballistic libraries that operate in a number of states, and allows police to search for a ballistic signature of a firearm to see if it is linked to other crimes across Australia. Firearms leave unique microscopic markings on the surface of fired projectiles. Ballistic experts examine and compare these markings, linking ballistic evidence to crime scenes and recovered firearms. This information is used as an intelligence source to assist in linking firearms to suspects and crimes.