Federal police quotes on Bali Nine probe

Key quotes from the Australian Federal Police on the Bali Nine probe a decade ago and the eventual execution of its ringleaders.

WHAT THE AFP SAID ABOUT THE BALI NINE INVESTIGATION:

"The idea that we shopped these Australians into this situation because we wanted to try to curry favour in relation to other investigations is fanciful and offensive." - Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin.

"Public references to blood on our hands ... cartoons depicting the AFP as the firing squad or the Grim Reaper are not only misinformed and ill guided, they are in my view in very bad taste." - Colvin.

"I wish I could assure you that this scenario could never happen again, but I cannot." - Colvin.

"They may well not choose to go down the same path they did in 2005, but I can't get into the mind of every investigator and know everything that they're thinking." - Colvin, on whether investigators would make the same decision today.

"It seemed an unnecessary thing to do." - Colvin, on Indonesia's execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

"No, I don't believe we owe them an apology." Colvin, on the executed men's families.

"I can remember at least one occasion at the time where a request was made by one of the investigators in Brisbane to come off the team. Was not comfortable with us dealing with a death penalty situation." - Colvin

"If anybody thinks that over the last 10 years, I haven't agonised over this decision, then they don't know me." - Deputy commissioner Michael Phelan, who led the initial investigation, on asking Indonesia for help.

"Given what I knew at that particular time and what our officers knew, I would take a lot of convincing to make a different decision." - Phelan.

"We understood that decision (to ask Indonesia to conduct surveillance) was made in the full knowledge that we may well be exposing those individuals to the death penalty." - Phelan.

"I've seen the misery that drugs causes to tens of thousands of families in this country." - Phelan

"Our message to the community is that you should feel confident and assured that the AFP takes their obligations and responsibilities in this area extremely seriously." - Deputy Commissioner Leanne Close.

"In the last three years, we've had more than 250 requests in relation to matters that may involve the death penalty guidelines. Of those, we've not approved about 15 ..." - Close


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Source: AAP


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