Former senior cop Paul Rosenblum used rank to get information: IBAC

An investigation has found systemic corruption within Victoria Police led to a former senior police officer using his rank to get information.

A major IBAC investigation into a former Victoria Police superintendent who used his position to improperly access police information has found systemic corruption and police misconduct led to the behaviour falling through the cracks.

Former superintendent Paul Rosenblum, who worked as a detective and an instructor at the Victoria Police Academy, was found to have misused his position to involve himself in police investigations into allegations of historical sexual offences that concerned associates of his church.

Rosenblum accessed a private database and unlawfully accessed and disclosed police information to members of the public involved in the case.

He was also found to have drafted a letter, intended to be signed by an alleged victim, requesting Victoria Police take no further action with its investigation of the alleged sexual offence.

Rosenblum was fined $20,000 but spared a conviction in court earlier this year after pleading guilty to accessing police information without reasonable excuse.

IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich said his actions were inappropriate and represented a clear conflict of interest.

“His seniority and responsibility for managing Victoria Police’s information security and privacy risks exacerbated the seriousness of his conduct,” Commissioner Redlich wrote.

“He was fully aware of the importance of information security and the seriousness of unauthorised information access and disclosure.

“As a senior officer, he should have clearly identified and appropriately managed the conflicts of interest that arose when associates of his church approached him for advice on the police investigations into sexual offences.”

Former senior police officer Paul Rosenblum’s actions were inappropriate.

The investigation, which was tabled to the Victorian parliament on Thursday, found Rosenblum’s access to information was facilitated by him using his rank and seniority to elicit information from fellow officers.

There was no suggestion he influenced the investigation, with IBAC claiming he involved himself.

Rosenblum accessed the LEAP database between December 2016 and May 2017 and also made calls and sent an email to determine the status of the case.

In one call to another police officer, Rosenblum reportedly said he was “a superintendent in town” and was making inquiries into Safe Churches Victoria regarding the case. (this line was reported in another publication, not something that was detailed in the IBAC investigation)

Rosenblum pleaded guilty to accessing police information contrary to his duties and ordered to pay $10,000 each to Victoria Police’s Blue Ribbon Foundation and Beyond Blue.

Rosenblum was a police officer for 35 years before resigning in 2019.

Rosenblum called IBAC’s report “misleading in many aspects”, selective in some matters and said it lacked specific context in relation to the chronology of events that arose through the investigation.

He also claimed that many of the matters alleged in the report were in dispute, and he stated the allegations were not tested by the required standard for criminal offences.

Rosenblum also asked that it be noted that it was a “protracted” and resource-intensive investigation and that the result was a plea to a relatively minor offence that was offered by him “some 18 months prior to the matter being finalised at court”.

He was also concerned the report did not contain any of the comments made by the sentencing magistrate.

Rosenblum was a police officer for 35 years before resigning in 2019.

IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich said widespread corruption within Victoria Police had allowed the behaviour to fall through the cracks.

The IBAC investigation unearthed systemic corruption and police misconduct vulnerabilities with Victoria Police’s practices and procedures.

It found there was poor complaints management by Victoria Police Professional Standards Command, which became aware of the allegations against Rosenblum in 2017 but took two months to notify the corruption commission.

Commissioner Redlich recommended Victoria Police regularly reinforce to police the legislation, policies and requirements around the access and use of Victoria Police information.

He also recommended the Victorian government change legislation to provide a clear obligation for police personnel to only access, make use of, or disclose police information if required by their current duties.

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