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NEWS > 18 December 2006

Other related articles:

Ravenstahl orders probe of top
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said Wednesday he has told city lawyers to investigate a top aide accused of engineering the promotion of a city police detective and quashing a disciplinary report against the officer.
The allegations surfaced in an e-mail police Cmdr. Catherine McNeilly sent to the mayor and council in which she accused Operations Director Dennis Regan of impeding her attempts to discipline Acting Detective Francis M. Rende for what she called an abuse of sick time tantamount to "incompetency, conduct unbecoming an officer" and "neglect of duty."

McNeilly said Regan in... Read more

 Article sourced from

Melbourne Herald Sun - Austral
18 December 2006
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Top cop faces secrecy probe

DEPUTY Police Commissioner Simon Overland is being investigated by the state's corruption watchdog for allegedly breaching secrecy laws.

Documents seen by the Herald Sun show the Office of Police Integrity is probing allegations Mr Overland leaked confidential information about a member of the defunct armed offenders squad.
The claims were raised by the Police Association in a letter of complaint to OPI director George Brouwer last month.

Mr Overland, seen by many as a future chief commissioner, declined to comment yesterday.

Mr Overland will take control of the force as Acting Chief Commissioner this week despite police under investigation usually being barred from taking on more senior roles.

Police Association secretary Paul Mullett also declined to comment, saying Mr Overland was entitled to a presumption of innocence.

The shock probe follows a warning in October by special investigations monitor David Jones, who oversees the OPI's powers, that witnesses had the right to "be served in a manner in which their confidentiality is not compromised".

It also follows action against 19 police over inappropriate access of more than 800 confidential files from the force's LEAP database.

Mr Overland is accused of breaching confidentiality and unauthorised disclosure of information provisions of the Police Regulations Act.

The claim centres on the redeployment of detectives from the defunct armed offenders squad.

The association letter alleges Mr Overland illegally told his staff officer and the Crime Department's personnel officer that Det Sen-Sgt Mark Chrystie was to be examined by the OPI.

"The communication of this information to third parties by Overland cannot be excused by any legal precept," the letter claims.

"None of the permissible exemptions within the Act exist in this instance."

The letter says that on October 3, Mr Overland clashed with union representatives over the status of Det Sen-Sgt Chrystie at a meeting to discuss the redeployment of some detectives to a new armed robbery taskforce.

"Overland did not want Chrystie redeployed in the new taskforce," the letter says.

Mr Overland is said to have argued Det Sen-Sgt Chrystie did not meet the eligibility criteria because he faced OPI examination.

"It was a fact, at that time, that Chrystie had not been summonsed to be examined, nor had he been requested to provide information or copies of diary or day-book entries to (OPI) staff," the letter claims.

Later that day, Det Sen-Sgt Chrystie was told by OPI staff that he would be served with a summons to be interviewed.

The summons and accompanying confidentiality notice were issued on October 4 and served on Det Sen-Sgt Chrystie on October 18.

The union claims Mr Overland illegally instructed his staff officer to be present when the summons was served.

A spokesman for Mr Brouwer said the OPI could not comment on individual complaints.

Police media director Stephen Linnell said: "We understand the OPI is investigating some allegations made by the Police Association and we are fully co-operating with their inquiries"

Det Sen-Sgt Chrystie has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
 

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