SA judicial agencies seeking extra funding to hear and prosecute Operation Ironside court cases
Pushing the Operation Ironside arrests through the courts is set to cost the state government millions of dollars in extra funding – with a task force now set up.
SA News
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A task force comprising the chiefs of each South Australian justice agency has been formed to determine the amount of financial assistance each will need as a result of the Operation Ironside police sting.
While the figure is unknown, it could run into millions of dollars with several agencies already flagging the need for additional resources to cope with more than 80 criminal cases stemming from the hugely successful operation.
The task force, chaired by Attorney-General’s Department chief executive Caroline Mealor, will prepare a detailed report outlining the extra resources each agency will need and the projected cost as the cases proceed through the court system over the next few years.
The task force will meet later this year once the head of each agency has determined the likely impact on its services and what extra resources they require.
Those involved include Chief Justice Chris Kourakis, Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Hinton QC, and the Legal Services Commission director Gabrielle Canny.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said the aim of the group was to “get a better understanding of what degree of additional resourcing is required’’ to ensure the Operation Ironside cases proceed in an efficient manner.
“At this stage, the scope and associated pressures on the justice system are relatively unknown, but if, or when, a request for extra resources is put to me, I will consider it accordingly,’’ she said.
Operation Ironside, a co-ordinated police sting in which federal police monitored the communications of criminals using encrypted mobile phones, dealt a savage blow to organised criminal groups – including the Comanchero bikie gang – in South Australia.
The sting resulted in more than 800 individuals being charged across the world – 73 of them in South Australia.
Forty people were arrested in South Australia on June 7 and 8 on charges ranging from conspiracy to murder to drug trafficking to money laundering. Prior to that another 33 people were charged as a direct result of information police obtained during the sting operation.
In an estimates hearing last week Chief Justice Kourakis said while he did not yet know what extra resources would be needed for the court system, planning needed to be done to cater for the extra caseload.
He said even before any of the criminal trials had begun the impact of Operation Ironside was manifesting in the civil jurisdiction.
“…. we have had something like a dozen applications to freeze proceeds of crime. They have been dealt with, and are dealt with fairly quickly in chambers, but what happens next is that the accused whose assets have been frozen seek hearings on whether in fact they are their assets or somebody else’s assets, seek hearings to allow money to be released for living and/or legal representation,’’ he said.
“We have to find judges to hear those matters now, and they will compete with those cases, ordinary civil cases, that are waiting to be heard.’’
In the estimates hearing Ms Chapman said it was expected that “nearly all’’ of the agencies within the criminal justice system would be affected by Operation Ironside and that unless there was a “mass submission of guilty pleas’’ there would be additional expense incurred by a number of agencies.
“Already, I have received an indication from the DPP office of extra resources that may be required. He is working on a proposal,’’ she said.
“I have also received an indication and request from the Chief Judge Evans, of the District Court, for some support that he would like to have in relation to associates, to judges, who may be involved in this matter.
“There are certainly a number of agencies in the criminal justice system that have already incurred cost and will need to incur further cost. The extent of that is still yet to be fully determined, but as a government I am advised from Treasury that, obviously, we have some provision for exceptional cases.’’
Law Society of SA president Rebecca Sandford said it was critical the agencies be properly resourced to cope with the influx of cases.
“With the courts already bracing for a Covid-driven spike in hearings, exacerbated by the unprecedented influx of matters stemming from the Operation Ironside arrests, there is a real risk that numerous matters may languish for years in the justice system unless the courts are adequately resourced,’’ she said.
“These factors will impact not only those parties but everyone else coming into contact with the court system. The lives of victims, defendants and witnesses, and their support networks, can be significantly disrupted whilst they navigate the justice system and it is crucial that they are not made to wait excessively long times to have their matters heard.
“A large volume of phones, computers and other technological devices were obtained in Operation Ironside. Examining the evidence from these devices is a painstaking and time-consuming process, and could be a point at which significant hold-ups occur. It is critical that Forensic Science SA is also adequately funded to analyse that evidence in a timely manner.’’
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Originally published as SA judicial agencies seeking extra funding to hear and prosecute Operation Ironside court cases
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