Report Suspicious Activity
Campaign
The Australian Government, in partnership with State and Territory governments and industry, is responsible for developing an awareness campaign that focuses on the use, risk and classification of chemicals of security concern. The campaign aims to inform and build vigilance across industry and the community and to assist jurisdictional police and security agencies in deterring, and/or detecting the use of chemicals for terrorist purposes.
Phase one of the campaign supports the ongoing work of industry and explains the reasons for raising general awareness of chemicals of concern and how this could affect their customers.
What to Look For
Chemicals are widely used in Australia for a broad range of legitimate purposes by consumers, businesses, industry and other organisations. Unfortunately, a small percentage of chemicals are purchased by terrorist groups for the purposes of manufacturing home made explosives.
Help prevent, detect and deter chemical misuse by considering:
- Does the customer fit the usual profile?
- Unusual orders, small or large quantities
- Responsible use of the product
- Mode of payment and delivery
If you are suspicious, report it.
Know Your Customer!
Knowing your customer involves being able to identify whether a customer’s purchase of a chemical product is legitimate. Businesses are best placed to prevent, detect and deter suspicious purchases of chemicals. This can be achieved by knowing your customers and reporting anything that seems unusual.
When identifying suspicious activities involving chemicals the following should be considered:
- Is the customer unfamiliar with the chemical’s intended purpose?
- Does the purchaser have invalid or out-of-date documentation?
- Are the chemicals being purchased with large cash payments?
- Is the customer willing to provide adequate forms of identification?
If you are suspicious of any transaction, you can report it to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400.
Alternatively, you can email the National Security Hotline at hotline@nationalsecurity.gov.au.
How Can I Help?
You can help by remaining alert to unusual or suspicious activity – know what to look for and know your customer!
What Can I Do?
If you see anything unusual, report it to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400.
This is a 24-hour, free-call number.
Trained operators take every call seriously and you can remain anonymous. Information is passed on to Australia’s police and security agencies for analysis and further investigation.
Alternatively, you can email the National Security Hotline at hotline@nationalsecurity.gov.au.
To report a crime or for general advice about local security and safety issues in your community, call your local police.
For police, fire or ambulance response to a life threatening emergency or if a crime is in progress, call 000.
