The AFP is celebrating the achievements of members who have been recognised for their dedication to the AFP and the Australian community in the King’s Birthday Honours today (12 June, 2023).
Five AFP members – Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett, Acting Assistant Commissioner Joanne Cameron, Superintendent Jason Byrnes, Sergeant Mark Spence and Sergeant Keith Taylor – have been awarded an Australian Police Medal for their outstanding service.
AFP Acting Commissioner Ian McCartney congratulated the five members and thanked them for their years of dedication to Australian policing.
“I am very proud of Krissy, Jason, Joanne, Mark and Keith, who are all extremely hard-working and committed to ensuring the safety of Australians and Australia’s interests,” Acting Commissioner McCartney said.
“They represent the best of the AFP and they should be honoured to be acknowledged for their contribution and dedication, to not only the AFP but the Australian community more widely.”
Assistant Commissioner Barrett started her AFP career in 2001 as an Investigative Assistant. She worked in financial management, administration, client liaison and protection intelligence before deploying to the Solomon Islands as part of the AFP’s first contingent of the Regional Assistance to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) in 2003.
In 2005, she started training to transition to a sworn member and joined ACT Policing on her graduation, where she later became the first Patrol Sergeant to work part-time after starting a family. She completed a research study in 2015 into gender roles in frontline policing.
Since then, Assistant Commissioner Barrett has worked in fraud and anti-corruption and money laundering and was ACT Policing’s Deputy Chief Police Officer Capability and Community Safety before relocating to the AFP’s Melbourne office as Commander Operations. In 2021, she was promoted to Assistant Commissioner Southern Command.
Assistant Commissioner Barrett now leads the Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command and is the first woman in the AFP to be appointed to the position.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Cameron began her AFP career in 1997 and has held various positions including in ACT Policing general duties, criminal investigations, intelligence, family violence and community safety, and in policing development and innovation.
In 2021, Acting Assistant Commissioner Cameron led ACT Policing’s COVID-19 Taskforce where she worked closely with ACT Health to enforce local health directions.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Cameron is now in the role of Chief of Staff, working closely with the AFP Commissioner.
Superintendent Byrnes has been a member of the AFP for 32 years, working in ACT Policing general duties, was the manager of the AFP’s Cairns office, worked within Internal Audit and Business Analysis, Professional Standards, and the International Deployment Group.
Over the course of his career, Superintendent Byrnes has worked internationally, including in Cyprus to support the United Nations mission for peacekeeping, Afghanistan, Malaysia and played a key role in the establishment of the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands.
Since 2020, Superintendent Byrnes has been responsible for recruit and regional training, ensuring AFP recruits are equipped with the skills and knowledge to become a successful police officer. He led the unit through the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the challenges, saw a record number of graduates pass through the AFP College in 2021 and 2022.
Sergeant Spence has been recognised for his role in ensuring the AFP maintained its core functions during the COVID-19 pandemic, while protecting the safety and security of staff.
He led both the AFP’s Operation Protect Coordination Centre and the Centre of National Resilience in the Northern Territory where he supported the security of the facility to allow for the safe and secure repatriation of Australian citizens.
Sergeant Taylor has served in the AFP for 35 years and is the team leader of crime scenes in the AFP’s Western Command in Western Australia, a position he has held since 1998.
He has led the forensic response and operational delivery in high-profile investigations covering counter terrorism, disaster victim identification operations, drug operations and international responses. He was involved in the law enforcement response to the Bali nine case in 2005, the downing of MH17 in Ukraine in 2014, missing flight MH370 and Operation Ironside.
Sergeant Taylor has dedicated the majority of his career to forensics, where he has provided mentoring and leadership, and directly contributed to successful frontline policing outcomes.
