Detective Sergeant Burgess has worked in law enforcement for over 27 years. His career began in community policing where, for 11 years from 1995, he worked for Victoria police investigating matters across a number of jurisdictions.

Since 2009 Detective Sergeant Burgess has worked for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) leading and managing complex, sensitive, transnational, long-term investigations and responses to serious and organized crime impacting Australia’s national security across multiple crime types including drugs, crimes at sea, espionage, people smuggling, foreign interference and fraud.

Detective Sergeant Burgess has represented the AFP during operational deployments in Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands and as an advanced trained Human Source Controller and Undercover Operative Handler.

Operations led by Detective Sergeant Burgess have resulted in the dismantling of significant Australian and offshore crime syndicates.

Detective Sergeant Burgess is currently seconded to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) in a role designed to improve the national ability to respond to crime impacting Australia and sensitive matters involving elements of corruption within Government agencies, collaborating with partners to disrupt the highest priority serious organized crime.