The Australian federal police commissioner, Tony Negus, is stepping down.
Negus has advised the government that he will leave the AFP at the end of his current five-year appointment, ending a 32-year career with the AFP on 7 September.
"It has been a great privilege to lead the AFP for the last five years and to serve the people of Australia under three different prime ministers," he said in a statement on the AFP website.
Negus said the AFP had achieved record levels of performance and was well placed to continue to build on its accomplishments.
"I am also very proud of the domestic and international relationships that the AFP has developed during my term, with co-operation in fighting both terrorism and transnational crime at an all-time high," he said.
The justice minister, Michael Keenan, said Negus, who was appointed to head the AFP in September 2009, had enjoyed a long and distinguished career in law enforcement.
"Under Commissioner Negus's leadership and reforms, the AFP has consistently achieved record levels of success in the protection of our nation," he said in a statement.
"The AFP has also successfully undertaken a range of international deployments contributing to international peace and stability during this time, including Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands."
Keenan said that during his career with the AFP, Negus had worked in a variety of fields including community policing, federal investigations, training, protection and human resources.
Negus has been awarded the Australian Police Medal and international awards recognising his contribution to fighting transnational crime.
Keenan said the government would now conduct an extensive national and international process to find a new commissioner.