Twisted games: young girls targeted by online gangs
The new head of the federal police warns that young girls are being preyed on online by young men who force their defenseless victims to commit “twisted” acts of violence.
Addressing the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Krissy Barrett will announce three local arrests and the arrest of 59 suspects identified as members of decentralized online crime networks.
“In this new, perverted form of gamification, perpetrators achieve a new status or a new level in their group as they provide more content depicting more extreme acts of depravity and sadism,” he will say.
“These crimes are now spreading into the real world and have real-world consequences.”
The creation of a new task force will crack down on these networks and perpetrators who create “criminal influence.”
Young people were reached through platforms such as Roblox and messaging applications such as Telegram.
Ms Barrett said the girls had low self-esteem, mental health problems and a history of self-harm.
Ms. Barrett, who previously served as the agency’s deputy commissioner for national security oversight, will point to increased strategic competition being exploited by state and non-state actors.
The chief, who appeared alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the media conference announcing his promotion, said the focus of his tenure would be ensuring the federal police had a healthy workforce.
Last August, AFP officers walked off the job during a strike at major airports over a pay dispute with the Commonwealth.
Ms Barrett made history as the first woman to be appointed to the agency’s most senior role, becoming the AFP’s ninth commissioner.
Ms Barrett, who has a 25-year career in law enforcement, was involved in Solomon Islands peacekeeping efforts and the Bali bombings investigation.
She started her career as a 21-year-old administrative assistant in the AFP’s Melbourne office and later rose through the ranks to take on a position she says she “never dreamed” she would hold.
Ms Barrett replaces commissioner Reece Kershaw, who retired after six years on the job.
He resigned before his term expired in October 2026.
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