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Data chief, David Watts, lashes police privacy

JOHN Brumby's law enforcement data watchdog is tired of Victoria Police not fully implementing its recommendations.

JOHN Brumby's law enforcement data watchdog is tired of Victoria Police not fully implementing its recommendations.

The CLED will subject them to "intense supervision" until they fix their flawed security around sharing sensitive personal information.

The Commissioner for Law Enforcement Data Security, David Watts, has warned police that "any further delay" in addressing concerns about safeguards for sharing personal data with third parties was "unacceptable".

The warning was part of a report Mr Watts released yesterday on the controversial memorandum of understanding between Victoria Police and Aquasure, the company building the state's $5 billion desalination plant.

He found the MOU -- which included provisions to share sensitive personal law enforcement information about possible protesters -- was plagued by "drafting errors" and did not adhere to current laws.

"The MOU imposes obligations that extend beyond the legal requirements," Mr Watts wrote. "(It) did not adequately take account of Victoria's human rights, information privacy and law enforcement data security laws and did not establish the mechanisms necessary to support compliance with them."

He found police did not hand over sensitive information about protesters to Aquasure, but provided it with a "limited amount" of non-personal law enforcement data, such as court records.

He concluded police processes for development of MOUs were "confusing and incomplete" and this led them to enter into "inappropriate" MOU obligations.

Mr Watts also criticised the Brumby government, saying the police had "unknowingly" agreed that if they failed to uphold the MOU and there was an "intervening event" which delayed construction, Aquasure was entitled to compensation.

"Victoria Police cannot be regarded as just another generic supplier of goods or services to a major project," Mr Watts said.

This was not the first time such issues had come up. He recommended that police set up a central database of MOUs, urgently review policies on data release, and develop properinformation-sharing procedures and specific training.

Mr Watts also said police had 14 days to nominate a person responsible for the implementation of recommendations and provide a proposed timeline for changes within 28 days.

"One of the themes of CLED's reviews of Victoria Police's law-enforcement data-security practices over the last few years has been the inadequacies of its security arrangements for data release and access for third parties," he states. "The findings (in this review) . . . are consistent with the fact that CLEDS recommendations dating back to 2008 about these matters have not been fully implemented.

"Any further delay in addressing these issues in unacceptable."

Police Minister Bob Cameron said he was having "urgent talks" with Chief Commissioner Simon Overland to improve the system.

"It is something Victoria Police has to do better," he said. "There should be more sensible MOUs with clearer obligations and understandings in the future."

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/data-chief-david-watts-lashes-police-privacy/news-story/22f63b2f2b4ffa61c2eb415794d8406d