(NCA NewsWire) A large number of terrorism offenders have been released into the community in recent years, leading to a dramatic increase in Australian Federal Police “control orders,” an inquiry has heard.
Sixteen control orders related to terror offences have been applied for since the tool was made available to crime-fighting agencies in 2005, including 10 made since February 2019 and five so far this year.
Asked to explain the dramatic increase, AFP counter-terrorism assistant commissioner Scott Lee said it was a reaction to a large number of terrorism offenders released into the public in recent years.
“The increase is primarily in relation to the high-risk terrorism offender cohort who have been released from custody,” Mr Lee told the inquiry in Parliament House.
