The tragic murder of Luke Batty underscores security shortfalls at Victoria Police, a watchdog has found.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Commissioner for Law Enforcement Data Security said police who visited Luke's father before he killed his son were oblivious to outstanding warrants, allegedly because of inadequate "information sharing processes".
"If they had been aware of the outstanding warrants, it is likely that the father would have been in custody at the time of the murder," commissioner David Watts said in his latest and final report, which was tabled in state parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
It said "relevant information was not accessible when it should have been" and the 11-year-old's death in February highlighted "the consequences of approaching security too narrowly".
The watchdog also revealed that Victoria Police had been targeted by cyber security attacks in the past year. It is evaluating the force's response to these attacks.
A police spokeswoman said the organisation recognised the need to protect itself against the threat of cyber attacks, and this was outlined in its blue print for 2012-2015.
"Our IT systems and controls are reviewed regularly in an effort to keep pace with increasingly advanced cyber attack techniques. We also ask our users to be vigilant and to be aware of the risks of clicking on suspicious links or replying to fake or deceptive emails, which may inadvertently give cyber criminals access to our systems and data."
She said the death of Luke Batty was subject to a coronial inquest, so it would be inappropriate to comment.
The report revealed there had been an increase in data security breaches at Victoria Police, with the number of confirmed incidents currently at 47 compared to 27 the previous year.
The report noted that 77 alleged breaches were being investigated and the number of confirmed breaches would "likely increase".
There were 29 breaches relating to the misuse of the LEAP database, and a historically low number of members improperly accessed law-enforcement data for their private and personal convenience.
The Commissioner for Law Enforcement Data Security will be replaced with a new Commissioner for Privacy and Data Protection.
henrietta.cook@fairfaxmedia.com.au
