Young girls are being hunted by young men online who are coercing their vulnerable victims into carrying out “twisted” acts of violence, the new head of the federal police warns.
In an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Krissy Barrett will announce three domestic arrests and 59 alleged offenders identified as members of decentralised online crime networks.
“In this new, twisted type of gamification, perpetrators reach a new status or new level in their group when they provide more content showing more extreme acts of depravity and sadism,” she will say.
“These crimes are now spilling into the real world and have real-world consequences.”
The creation of a new taskforce will crack down on these networks and “crime-influencer” perpetrators.
Young people have been reached on platforms including Roblox and messaging apps such as Telegram.
The girls tended to have low-self esteem, mental health issues and a history of self-harm, Ms Barrett will say.
Previously serving as the agency’s deputy commissioner with oversight of national security, Ms Barrett will point to growing strategic competition being exploited by state and non-state actors.
Standing alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the media conference announcing her promotion, the chief said a focus of her tenure would be ensuring the federal police had a healthy workforce.
Last August, AFP officers walked off the job at major airports during a strike over a pay dispute with the Commonwealth.
Ms Barrett made history as the first woman to be appointed to the agency’s top job and is the ninth commissioner of the AFP.
In a 25-year career in law enforcement, Ms Barrett was involved in the Solomon Islands peacekeeping efforts and the Bali bombings investigation.
She began her career with the AFP as a 21-year-old administrative assistant in its Melbourne office before moving up the ranks to take charge in a position she said she “never imagined” she would do.
Ms Barrett replaced commissioner Reece Kershaw, who retired after six years in the role.
He stepped down before his term was set to run out in October 2026.
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