Australian Federal Police officers will undergo three-day ‘Muslim sensitivity training’ to better understand the culture of Islam.
The AFP is tendering for a new provider to conduct the courses for officers across Australia, as the agency works to manage the threat of Islamic terror.
The agency will work to target Islamic extremism and prevent the radicalisation of young people in Australia.
Australian Federal Police officers will undergo three-day ‘Muslim sensitivity training’ to better understand the culture of Islam (Soldiers march in Iraq)
The program will brief officers about current international conflicts and ‘areas of interest’, and aims to build relationships with Islamic community leaders.
The workshops will educate officers about all aspects of Islam, as Australian soldiers return from war-torn regions including Iraq and Syria.
The AFP told Daily Mail Australia the agency was tendering for a new provider, after offering the course over many years.
‘The program has been delivered over many years by academic and cultural leaders within the community,’ the AFP told The Australian.
‘[It ensures] that AFP members are culturally aware and sensitive to the issues of the communities to which the AFP provides.’
Australian Federal Police officers will undergo three-day ‘Muslim sensitivity training’ to better understand the culture of Islam and combat the threat of terrorism (IS militant pictured in Iraq)
The AFP told Daily Mail Australia the agency was tendering for a new provider, after offering the course over many years (AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin pictured)
Federal police members pose with an Islamic State (IS) flag along a street of Albu Saif which was recaptured from Islamic State, south of Mosul, Iraq
The Australian police force has introduced a range of groups and commissions to tackle the threat of Islamic extremism since the September 11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers.
The National Disruption Group (NDG) was formed to combat religious extremism and includes officers from the state police, the Australian Crime Commission, and national intelligence agencies.
The NDG worked with ‘vulnerable individuals, particularly young people, to prevent them from committing terrorist-related activity or travelling overseas to fight with a terrorist group’.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said: ‘The use of encrypted messaging by terrorists and criminals is potentially the most significant degradation of intelligence capability in modern times’
The AFP will also focus on targeting encrypted messages sent over the internet to organise terror attacks.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said: ‘The use of encrypted messaging by terrorists and criminals is potentially the most significant degradation of intelligence capability in modern times’.
‘The use of cyberspace by terrorists and criminals presents an increasing challenge for our agencies,’ Mr Dutton said at the ASEAN conference.
The AFP (officer pictured at Sydney Airport) will also focus on targeting encrypted messages sent over the internet to organise terror attacks
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, an AFP spokesman said Islamic Awareness Workshops were ‘paramount in educating officers around the Islamic faith’.
‘Like many other cultural initiatives within the AFP and Commonwealth Government, ensures that AFP members are culturally aware and sensitive to the issues of the communities for which the AFP provides a service to,’ he said.
‘The program is designed to educate them about Islamic culture and the history of Islam, including the current international conflicts and areas of interest. It also covers engagement with other law enforcement partners and community members and groups.
‘The AFP is governed by ‘Commonwealth Procurement Rules’ and as such we are unable to release additional information regarding an RFT while it is in the evaluation period.’
The army have been brought in to provide security for the Commonwealth Games which start on April 4
Meanwhile, Senior commanders report they are concerned about terrorism ahead of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Undercover commandos will be at the heart of the massive operation to keep the Commonwealth Games safe, police have revealed.
They will be among the 5,200 police and army personnel deployed on the Gold Coast for the games which start on April 4.
Queensland Police is heading up the operation as it beefs up security to keep athletes and spectators safe from bombings and terror threats.
Hundreds of officers have been given additional training and will also film major incidents on mobile phones and send live pictures back to intelligence services.
People and vehicles will be dealt with at separate check-in stations with airport-style security.
Police will be able to test each vehicle for explosives and material to potentially cause major damage.