How we fight crime
The major factors we face in tackling the kinds of criminal activity most likely to do serious harm to the people of Queensland are -
- an increasingly sophisticated criminal presence
- a destructive persistence of illegal drugs
- ongoing engagement of individuals and networks in criminal paedophilia.
Our function encompasses both combating and preventing major crime. We are not a police agency but a niche layer of Queensland law enforcement focused solely on high-threat or major crime.
As a referral-based investigative agency, we add value to the overall law enforcement effort by using our unique powers and specialist skills to support our own and our partners’ investigations, and in associated proceeds of crime recovery.
Our effectiveness depends on our partnerships with both state and Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, particularly the Queensland Police Service (QPS). We work with a broad range of stakeholders to implement broader crime disruption and prevention strategies.
Finding the weak spots
Recognising and attacking the vulnerabilities of criminal syndicates is the focus of our crime-fighting efforts. To this end we:
- identify current and emerging trends in the criminal environment
- attack the profitability of organised crime by confiscating the proceeds of crime
- continually upgrade our technical electronic surveillance and forensic computing capabilities
- use our coercive hearings power in our own investigations and those requested by other agencies (mainly the QPS) to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence
- protect witnesses who may be at risk because they have helped a law enforcement agency to ensure they can give their evidence in court.
Conducting investigations
In general, we investigate organised crime in conjunction with police and other law enforcement agencies. This gives the police access to our special powers, and to a wide variety of personnel drawn from investigative skills and specialist legal, information technology, accounting, intelligence and forensic disciplines. These taskforces exist for a set period and a clearly defined purpose.
We also carry out our own investigations, independent of other law enforcement agencies.
A substantial proportion of our work also includes investigations requested by other law enforcement agencies, which generally require access to our power to hold coercive hearings.
Conducting research and providing strategic intelligence
We research and analyse past and current developments in organised crime and assess the threats or risk levels they pose. These intelligence assessments let us identify crime markets that present the greatest risk to the Queensland community and set priorities for deploying our resources.
Browse by type or topic for research and publications.
Sharing information
We share our research and intelligence information with other law enforcement agencies throughout Australia by regularly contributing new information to the national Intelligence Recording and Analysis Database.
We also publish intelligence findings in our Crime Bulletins, which are available to the public, and our Intelligence Digests, which we publish for law enforcement agencies.
Read more about our partnerships.
