Six out of 20 police staff under investigation for alleged misuse of police devices have been stood down, with criminal inquiries now underway in three of the cases, Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers has confirmed.
According to a report by Paula Penfold of Stuff, Rogers said the six personnel were being investigated over “serious matters”, including potentially accessing objectionable material or viewing inappropriate content, in addition to facing separate misconduct allegations. She noted that some staff may have had legitimate operational reasons to access certain material, which would be verified as part of the inquiries.
“Criminal investigations are being conducted into three of the cases,” Rogers said, declining to disclose the ranks of those involved, Paula Penfold of Stuff reported.
The developments follow this week’s revelation that 20 staff are under scrutiny after a “rapid review” of security protocols on police devices, initiated in the wake of the McSkimming scandal. That review resulted in new audit systems being introduced, which subsequently uncovered the 20 cases.
The review was launched after former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming was found with objectionable material, including child exploitation and bestiality content, on his work devices. McSkimming has pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced next month.
The latest stand-downs come shortly after a damning report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), which found police were too slow to act on sexual misconduct allegations against McSkimming. When officers eventually investigated, they discovered he had repeatedly accessed illegal material using police-issued devices.
The IPCA report highlighted significant weaknesses in police information security, including poor oversight of internet activity, limited visibility of content accessed by staff, and governance “blind spots”.