The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) has produced a strange report on corruption they have not found, but which has nonetheless prompted high level reactions.
This investigation concerns two related corruption issues. The information received suggested that ACT Policing officers—who are appointees of the AFP—had inappropriately provided information (tip-offs) to a known criminal.
The investigation did not reveal any evidence that law enforcement information had been provided to the criminal.
Several corruption risks that were identified by the investigation—relating to variation in recordkeeping practices of police officer contact with ‘persons of interest’ generally, and in the context of prison visits specifically—were raised with ACT Policing. Satisfied that the Chief Police Officer of ACT Policing is aware of these corruption risks and is considering their implications, the Integrity Commissioner made no recommendations.
During the course of the investigation, the Integrity Commissioner identified an additional corruption issue, as provided for by section 38 of the LEIC Act. The Integrity Commissioner referred the issue for investigation to the AFP under sub-section 26(1)(c)(iii) of the LEIC Act.
As a measure to protect the identity of witnesses, the report into this investigation has not been made public.