The Office of Police Integrity (OPI) was the Australian state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

independent police oversight and anti-corruption agency established by the

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

in November 2004. OPI ceased operation on 9 February 2013 and was replaced by the

Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is Victoria's anti-corruption agency with jurisdiction over the public sector. It does this by: * investigating serious corruption and police misconduct * informing the public sector, ...

. OPI's official role was to detect, investigate and prevent police corruption and serious misconduct and to ensure that police members had regard to the human rights set out in the

Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 is an Act of Parliament of the state of Victoria, Australia, designed to protect and promote human rights. It does so by enumerating a series of human rights, largely developed from thos ...

. OPI reported directly to the

Victorian Parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

and was led by George Brouwer who was also

Victorian Ombudsman Ombudsmen in Australia are independent agencies who assist when a dispute arises between individuals and industry bodies or government agencies. Government ombudsman services are free to the public, like many other ombudsman and dispute resoluti ...

Graham Ashton Graham Leonard Ashton (born 1962) is an Australian police officer who was the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police from 2015 to 2020. He also served in the Australian Federal Police for a long period. Ashton was born in Aldgate, South Austral ...

, later to become

Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

, was assistant director.

History

Prior to 2004, criminal investigations in Victoria had exposed alleged links between the underworld and police. OPI was established in response to a widespread concern within the Victorian community about the integrity of its police and the effectiveness of arrangements for oversight and review of police conduct. Prior to this, the police complaints function belonged with the Ombudsman but it was limited to monitoring and reviewing complaint investigations conducted by police. Only in very limited circumstances could the Ombudsman investigate those complaints. The legislation creating OPI included the power to conduct own motion investigations.

Oversight

OPI performed its oversight function by reviewing police policies and procedures and making recommendations to reform and improve these. For example, OPI conducted large scale reviews the Discipline System and the Management Intervention Model, the Management of High Profile Cases, the Investigative Process Following a Death Associated with Police Contact and Police Use of Stop and Search Powers. OPI also provided educational activities and programs to promote and support professional and ethical behaviour in Victoria Police members.

Inefficiency in dealing with Victoria Police corruption

In early 2007, Don Stewart, a retired

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judge, called for a Royal Commission into Victorian

police corruption Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers end up breaking their political contract and abuse their power for personal gain. This type of corruption may involve one or a group of officers. Internal police ...

. Stewart alleged that the force is riddled with corruption that the Office of Police Integrity was unable to deal with.

Investigations

OPI's investigative capabilities included phone tapping powers and specialist high tech and covert investigation methods. Investigations were sometimes conducted in conjunction with the Victorian Police Ethical Standards Department. OPI investigators came from a wide variety of backgrounds and have experience with overseas, interstate and federal police forces. OPI investigations were undertaken for matters ranging from improper relationships, drugs and police and informer management. The Special Investigations Monitor (now ceased) oversaw responsible and correct use of certain OPI powers, including the exercise of its coercive powers.

Hearings

From the late 1970s commissions of inquiry throughout Australia identified that traditional law enforcement methods were inadequate to address sustained action against either organised crime or corruption. Since then, specialist independently statutory bodies, such as the OPI, have emerged in most states. It is important to note that OPI and other like agencies have non-traditional powers derived from a convergence of legal processes adopted from both

inquisitorial An inquisitorial system is a legal system in which the court, or a part of the court, is actively involved in investigating the facts of the case. This is distinct from an adversarial system, in which the role of the court is primarily that of an ...

and

adversarial system The adversarial system or adversary system is a legal system used in the common law countries where two advocates represent their parties' case or position before an impartial person or group of people, usually a judge or jury, who attempt to det ...

s. OPI conducted a number of public hearings which gained a great amount of media and public attention. In September 2006, an investigation into physical assault by members of the

Armed Offenders Squad The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) are specialist part-time units of the New Zealand Police based around the country available to respond to high risk incidents using specialist tactics and equipment. The AOS was established when front-line poli ...

(now disbanded) culminated in a public hearing. During the hearing, covertly recorded material of the actual incident was played.

members were shown to have committed perjury. This hearing generated strong public debate, with both supportive and critical commentary. A November 2007 hearing involved matters relating to misconduct in public office, propensity of police witnesses to lie on oath, information leaks and attempts to pervert the course of justice. The OPI investigation that resulted in the hearing involved, amongst others, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Noel Ashby (now resigned), Victoria Police Media Director Steve Linnell (now resigned) and Police Association Secretary, Paul Mullett (now suspended). The public interest was immense and media outlets Australia-wide reported the hearing.

Corruption Prevention & Education

In addition to detecting, investigating and exposing serious misconduct or corruption, part of OPI's mandate was to understand the underlying causes of this sort of conduct. This can result in measures that will prevent it from occurring again. OPI had a dedicated corruption, prevention and education unit. One of the key tasks of the unit was to identify areas of policing or policing systems that are susceptible to the development of corrupt, unethical or unprofessional behaviour. Having identified problem areas, the unit scoped solutions from within Victoria Police or other jurisdictions to strengthen systems, improve ethical and professional standards and reduce the vulnerability of Victoria Police to corruption or serious misconduct. To engage with rank and file police, the unit conducted information sessions in metropolitan and rural regions. The sessions aimed to give police accurate information about OPI and inform them of their rights and responsibilities in the event of an OPI investigation.

Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC)

The functions previously performed by OPI have now been subsumed by the

Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is Victoria's anti-corruption agency with jurisdiction over the public sector. It does this by: * investigating serious corruption and police misconduct * informing the public sector, ...

References

External links

Office of Police Integrity websiteVictorian Police CorruptionIndependent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission

OPI Reports

A Fair and Effective Victoria Police Discipline System (Oct 2007)

Ceja Task Force - Drug Related Corruption (Jul 2007)

Conditions for persons in custody (Jul 2006)

Exposing corruption within senior levels of Victoria Police (Feb 2008)

Investigation into the publication of One Down, One Missing (Sep 2005)

Investigation into the Victoria Police's Management of the Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) (Mar 2005)

Past Patterns, Future Directions: Victoria Police and the problem of corruption and serious misconduct (Feb 2007)

Report on the 'Kit Walker' investigations (Dec 2007)

Report on the Leak of a Sensitive Victoria Police Information Report (Feb 2005)

Review of fatal shootings by Victoria Police (Nov 2005)

Review of the Victoria Police Witness Protection Program (Jul 2005)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Office Of Police Integrity 2004 establishments in Australia Law enforcement agencies of Victoria (Australia) Police oversight organizations Anti-corruption agencies