Mick Keelty

Mick Keelty AO APM
Keelty in July 2014
Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police
In office 2 April 2001 – 2 September 2009
Preceded by	Mick Palmer
Succeeded by	Tony Negus
Personal details
Born	(1954-07-13) 13 July 1954 Sydney, Australia
Profession	Police officer

Michael Joseph "Mick" Keelty AO APM (born 13 July 1954), Australian police officer, was the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police from 2001 to 2009. Keelty became the inaugural Chairperson of the Australian Crime Commission in 2003.

Policing career

Keelty joined the Australian Capital Territory Police in 1974,^[1] which was subsequently merged with the Commonwealth Police in 1979, to create the Australian Federal Police (AFP). During his policing career, Keelty had experience across organised crime and corruption whilst seconded to the National Crime Authority, intelligence, community policing, and drug operations. He became an Assistant Commissioner of the AFP in 1995 and Deputy Commissioner in 1998. Keelty was appointed Commissioner of Police of the Australian Federal Police on 2 April 2001 for an initial term of five years.^[2] At the time, aged 46, he was the youngest Commissioner and the first Commissioner appointed from within the ranks of the AFP.^[1]

As Commissioner, Keelty oversaw the expansion of the AFP following the terrorist attacks in the United States of America later that year and the bombings in Bali, Indonesia in 2002. The organisation quadrupled in size and budget in the eight-and-a-half years he served as Commissioner taking on new roles such as the International Deployment Group – a body of some 1,200 officers serving in Afghanistan, Timor Leste, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea^[3] and expanding the AFP's budget from A$370 million in 2001 to A$1.3 billion in 2009.^[4]

He is unrepentant about the AFP's role in the Bali Nine saga.^[5][6]

Keelty retired on 2 September 2009, on the 35th anniversary of commencing as a police officer.

Career after policing

Since his retirement from the AFP, Keelty has become an Adjunct Professor at both the Australian National University and Charles Sturt University undertaking research into policy implications of social networking for covert operations by police and security agencies. He is a member of the International Advisory Board for the Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Policing and Security^[7] and a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Council on Organised Crime.

In February 2011, Keelty was appointed by the WA Government to lead the independent inquiry into the Perth Hills Bushfires.^[8]

Honours and awards

	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	13 June 2011, "For distinguished service to national and international law enforcement, particularly through the establishment of bilateral agreements with corresponding overseas agencies and the integration of intelligence and law enforcement efforts within Australia".[9]
	Australian Police Medal (APM)	1996 "For distinguished police service".[10]
	Centenary Medal	2001[1]
	National Medal with Rosette	1991[11] and 1999.[12] For 25–34 years of service.
	Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang	2008, Singapore's Distinguished Service Order (civilian)[13]

Keelty's academic qualifications include a Masters of Public Policy and Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia, USA; he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.^[1]

See also

• Australian Federal Police
• Law enforcement in Australia

References