The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is seeking a replacement for its outdated national police check system, with an alternative to be deployed in October 2026.
iTnews understands that the AFP will consolidate two end-of-life systems that power national police checks into a single platform by October next year.
An AFP spokesperson declined to comment on what this might look like.
The dual systems used for police checks at present comprise the Criminal Records Enquiry and Disclosure Service (CREADS), built and managed by the AFP and first introduced in 2004, and the NPC (National Police Check) Application Processing System (NAPS), which was introduced in 2010 and built by Canon.
“Both systems have already passed their end of useful life and become obsolete, resulting in costly repairs and diminishing returns,” tender documents state.
To access relevant records, the dual system connects with a broad range of services, including the National Police Checking Service Support System (operated by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission), the Document Verification Service (operated by the Attorney-General’s department), the Reserve Bank of Australia as a payment service and the AFP data warehouse.
The new system will be expected to interface with these databases accordingly, while being more scalable, flexible, secure and cost-effective than the previous solution.
The AFP said it processes up to 1 million police checks every month.
The national police check system is used by people and businesses seeking verified records on an individual’s criminal and court history.
It generates revenue for the AFP, costing $56 for a standard application, or $113 if fingerprints are required.
The AFP approached the market in July seeking information on commercial off-the-shelf replacements for its police checks system, dubbed the National Police Check Systems Replacement (NPCSR) Project. The RFT was delayed twice before being live in early October.
A commencement date for work on the new platform has been earmarked for April 2026. It’s expected to be rolled out in three phases from June to October 2026, when it is due to go live.
The old police check solution is expected to be decommissioned in March 2027.
The AFP’s software asset value rose to $166 million in the 2023-2024 financial year, with the rise driven by the launch of a new investigations management solution and licences for Red Hat and Nearmap software.
