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The AFP's Australian Bomb Data Centre (ABDC) is Australia's primary source of information and intelligence relating to the unlawful use of explosives. The ABDC officially began operations on 1 July 1978, and it is therefore one of the oldest bomb data centres in the world.
As determined by the Australian Commissioners of Police, the role of the ABDC is to "collect, collate, interpret and disseminate data gathered from within Australia and overseas, concerning explosives and incendiaries, whether commercial, military or improvised."
The ABDC's primary mission is to provide timely and accurate information to all participating agencies and, by doing so, to assist in reducing the loss of life and damage caused by the unlawful use of explosives. A range of services are provided for participating government agencies and commercial organisations.
The centre is concerned both with criminals who use explosives for their own benefit and with those who use explosives and bombs for terrorism.
The ABDC maintains records of all bomb-related incidents reported to it, regardless of design, target or motive. These records are used to prepare ABDC publications and explosive technical intelligence reports.
The ABDC is staffed by members of the AFP as well as members of the Australian Defence Force. With the exception of support staff, all members are either Explosive Technical Intelligence officers or Technical Intelligence officers.
Australian Government Bomb Threat Evacuation Guide
This Guide is intended to provide first responders and other emergency planning personnel with information to recognise and appropriately respond to situations potentially involving explosive devices. Given the variety of explosive materials and containment methods available, this Guide does not provide comprehensive information. As such, this Guide is not intended to supersede specific safety training and reporting channels.
The Australian Government accepts no liability arising from the use of this document.
You can view this document via Australian Government Bomb Threat Evacuation Guide (PDF, 250KB).
Bombs: Defusing the Threat
The Australian Bomb Data Centre's publication, Bombs: Defusing the Threat, was updated in January 2009.
You can view this document via Bombs: Defusing the Threat (PDF, 4MB), or you can order a hard copy of the book.
Phone Threat Checklist
This checklist should be placed under the telephone to ensure that information received during telephone threats is recorded. The phone threat checklist includes questions to be asked by the person who receives the call regarding bomb and chemical/biological threats.
You can view this document via Phone Bomb-Threat Checklist (PDF, 1MB), or you can order hard copy's of the checklist.
ABDC Conference
The annual ABDC Conference is tailored to meet the needs of various professionals dealing with bombing incidents, providing delegates with invaluable opportunities to meet and share information.
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Contact ABDC