A new crime‑fighting taskforce has officially launched in Cairns, bringing together the Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police to crack down on organised crime stretching from the Torres Strait to Townsville. The North Queensland Joint Organised Crime Task Force is up and running, with seven officers based in Cairns and several operations underway.
The taskforce will target methamphetamine and cocaine stockpiled in the Pacific, along with people smuggling, forced labour and sexual servitude, crimes police say are increasingly affecting vulnerable communities in the region.
Police say the new team will also help guard against potential foreign interference and respond to concerns from First Nations leaders about rising drug use among young people in the Torres Strait and Bamaga. The taskforce will work closely with PNG police and draw on intelligence from agencies including ABF, ACIC, INTERPOL and the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group.
