VicPol staffer ‘destroyed lives’ by snooping on confidential info

A Victoria Police employee abused her position to snoop on the family violence and criminal records of school peers and family members in a move one victim says ruined lives.

The Victoria Police employee used her position to gain access to highly sensitive information. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

A Victoria Police employee who abused her position to gain highly sensitive information about family members and associates escaped further criminal charges due to restrictive laws.

Cristal Micallef, 36, formerly employed within the counter terrorism command, was let off on a two-year good behaviour bond in February for using LEAP, the police intelligence database, to access the family violence and criminal history records of more than a dozen targets – including former school peers and members of her extended family – in 2022-2023.

The Herald Sun can reveal Micallef accessed confidential information about other victims during her eight-year police career.

Those victims remain unaware of the breaches and no criminal charges will be laid over them due to legislative restrictions.

One of Micallef’s victims said the police employee’s actions had destroyed lives and that she deserved greater punishment.

Former Victoria Police employee Cristal Micallef. Picture: ATEIA Photography & Video

“Her involvement in searching family violence matters had significant consequences and has changed the trajectory of people’s lives and children’s lives,” the victim told the Herald Sun.

“She did it all with a click of a button.”

The investigation into Micallef commenced when there was a 12-month time limit in which a Victoria Police employee could be charged with abusing the LEAP system.

The laws have since been reformed to capture offences over a three-year period following the leaking of images of Dani Laidley by police following her arrest in 2020.

One of Micallef’s victims said the force still needed to do more to protect the public and their confidential information.

“There needs to be more safeguards in police databases and more supervision at higher levels in terms of auditing to ensure people in positions of trust are monitored and held accountable,” the victim said.

The concerns were echoed by Western Victoria MP Jactina Ermacora who told state parliament in February that the force does not prioritise the internal monitoring of people’s private information.

“In any other organisation – certainly in our financial and medical institutions – when a person tries to access unauthorised material, there is an immediate alert because this is an unauthorised invasion of privacy,” she said.

“The Victoria Police database, which stores highly sensitive and confidential information, has no such proactive checks.”

A Victoria Police spokesman said LEAP searches dating back to the system’s inception can be tracked, with both random and targeted audits occurring and flags for certain information to detect suspect use.

Ms Micallef was let off on a two-year good behaviour bond. Picture: iStock

“Victoria Police conducts both reactive and proactive monitoring of LEAP, restricts access to especially sensitive information, has tiered levels of access and continually reminds employees who access the system of their legal obligations,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman confirmed “further potential offending” was identified during the investigation into Micallef, but “the behaviour in question did not meet the threshold for the more serious indictable offence”.

“Victoria Police conducted an extensive assessment of information accessed which determined it had not been used and there was no ongoing risk that necessitated informing potential victims and causing them unnecessary distress,” the spokesman said.

In February, Micallef was lashed over her conduct by magistrate Carolyn Howe, who said she potentially endangered the lives and safety of family violence victims.

“You placed them at risk of danger and fatality,” she said.

Micallef, initially charged with 18 offences, pleaded guilty to a single charge of unauthorised access to the LEAP database and was handed a two-year adjourned undertaking with conviction which requires her to be of good behaviour, engage with a psychiatrist and donate $100 to the court fund.