‘It is not possible’: Integrity Commission boss laments lack of budget to investigate Tas police
The Integrity Commission says it needs a bigger budget to investigate all sexual abuse allegations against Tasmania Police officers. The comments come after a damning report into disgraced policeman, Paul Reynolds.
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The Integrity Commission says it needs a bigger budget in order to fulfil a request it investigate all sexual abuse allegations against Tasmania Police officers.
The comments, from Chief Commissioner Greg Melick, come in the wake of a report handed down last week into the disturbing history of disgraced pedophile policeman, Paul Reynolds.
One of the key recommendations made by independent reviewer, former war crimes prosecutor Regina Weiss, was for the Integrity Commission to independently investigate all grooming and sexual abuse allegations made against police officers.
She said this would occur through the Integrity Commission being recognised as a “law enforcement agency”, gaining authorised access to Tasmania Police investigation databases, being given coercive examination powers, and being able to apply for arrest warrants.
“In its current state, the Tasmanian Integrity Commission does not measure up to its interstate counterparts with respect to investigative powers over law enforcement officers for serious misconduct such as that perpetuated by Reynolds,” Ms Weiss said in her review.
“With the benefit of hindsight, if an integrity commission with investigative powers independent of police … had investigated allegations of Reynolds’ grooming or criminal conduct with teenage boys, perhaps his actions would have been detected sooner.”
But Mr Melick, in a statement issued on Monday, said this could not be done “on our current budget”.
He noted the Integrity Commission had been established to prevent and investigate misconduct in Tasmanian public sector institutions, including Tasmania Police, and also noted that Tasmania Police had decided to “proactively provide us with investigation files that relate to sexual abuse by police officers for oversight purposes”.
“It is important work that must be done,” Mr Melick said.
“However, on our current budget, we cannot provide the level of investigation or oversight that the report recommends.”
Mr Melick said the Integrity Commission currently had the equivalent of fewer than five full-time employees in its complaints and oversight teams combined.
“As skilled and motivated as our staff are, it is not possible within our current resourcing to thoroughly oversee the some 40,000 or so public sector workers in Tasmania, including the over 1400 police officers,” he said.
Tasmania’s Integrity Commission has been repeatedly criticised over the years, with findings it was “weak and not fit for purpose” and one of the weakest anti-corruption bodies in Australia.
Concerns have been raised over the body, including its management of complaints relating to notorious Launceston pedophile nurse, James Geoffrey Griffin.
It has also been criticised over its inability to investigate other kinds of cases like anonymous donations made to the state government and the Adam Brooks affair, after a former Minister denied allegations during an election campaign he used a fake identity to trick women he met via dating apps.
Labor leader Dean Winter said Mr Melick’s comments had been an “extraordinary intervention” to highlight the Integrity Commission’s lack of resourcing to do its job properly.
“Tasmanians want to know that if there is corruption within our public service that there is a tough watchdog on the beat, ready to hold the government to account,” he said.
A spokesperson said the government had increased the Integrity Commission’s funding, had “every confidence in its ability to undertake its duties”, and would review the body with “an eye to giving it greater capability to conduct its work”.
The spokesperson also said the government would consider the Tasmania Police Commissioner’s advice regarding the Weiss review recommendations.
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