AUSTRALIA MORE THAN 700,000 AUSTRALIANS IN 2011 WERE VICTIMS OF IDENTITY FRAUD AND LOST ONE $ ONE BILLION BUT THE TOTAL COST OF FINANCIAL CRIME IS ESTIMATED TO BE $ 8.5 BILLION EACH YER AND NOW POLICE WANT SWEEPING CHANGES TO PRIVACY LAW TO ALLOW GOVT TO DOB THE CRIMINALS BY TAPPING PHONES BY BLOCKING BANK ACCOUNTS WITHOUT HOLDERS CONSENTS OF THOSE ENGAGED IN CRIMINALS ACTIVITIES POLICE want sweeping changes to privacy laws to allow government departments to dob in criminals who use them to hide the proceeds of their illegal activities. The laws prevent state and federal government agencies from disclosing almost all private information to police, even when they suspect illegal activity. SA Police Commissioner Gary Burns has told a federal parliamentary inquiry into financial crime that agencies such as Australia Post and the Immigration Department must be allowed to volunteer this type of information. The push has the backing of victims of crime, who want an end to secrecy that protects the proceeds of crime from police scrutiny because government departments are not allowed to breach the criminal’s privacy. In his written submission to the inquiry into Financial Crime, Mr Burn has highlighted the barriers to investigating the so-called “unexplained wealth laws’’ stating: “Disclosure of information held by State and Commonwealth government agencies to identify possible targets, make a preliminary assessment, identify, locate and trace wealth or otherwise assist an investigation and proceedings is essential’’. “Many Commonwealth agencies are governed by specific legislation, which regulates the collection and subsequent disclosure of information.” “In almost all cases, disclosure of information is prohibited by statutory provisions, which contain specific exemptions permitting disclosure.’’ Unexplained wealth laws were recently developed to allow courts to confiscate money and assets which criminals could not explain as revenue from legitimate businesses or employment. Mr Burns has told the inquiry that police also want: SIMPLER access to state and national databases which use facial identification such as passports and driver’s licences. NATIONAL rollout of facial recognition technology across all government departments. REAL-TIME blocks on bank accounts without the account holder’s consent. USING new technology to speed up information exchange between police and financial institutions. Mr Burns said the inability to block bank accounts often led to repeated fraud over a short period of time. In 2011, more than 700,000 Australians were victims of identity fraud and lost $1 billion, but the total cost of financial crime is estimated by the Australian Institute of Criminology to be $8.5 billion each year. Commissioner for Victims’ Rights, Michael O’Connell, said the ability of those engaged in financial crime to hide large amounts of money from state police was one of the keys to their success. “The ease with which offenders can move the proceeds of their unlawful deeds across borders is a primary factor facilitating the success of cross-jurisdictional crime such as fraud,’’ he said. “Conversely, those borders are often obstacles to police and law enforcement. “The economic costs and impact upon victims as well as others who fear being defrauded is enormous. There should be swift and collaborated responses that a respectful of victims’ rights and minimise the risk of secondary victimisation.” He said one case he had dealt with had involved three generations of one family. “(It) started with an elderly person in a nursing home who was defrauded of all her money, and her granddaughter had to return to work to make ends meet for the family,’’ he said. “The offenders when they are caught have no ‘known assets’.’’ A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority said the organisation could only provide information to police on request and only if the CAA considered a crime had or was taking place. Mr Burns also criticised international agreements which required requests for assistance to foreign authorities. “Mutual assistance requests are cumbersome and time-consuming,’’ his written submission states. “The delay in the provision of requested material can often frustrate investigations and the court process.’’ Karen Edwards, who had to travel to Thailand to extract information from authorities about her son’s mysterious death while he was on a stopover working for Virgin Australia, backed Mr Burn’s comments.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 02:49:30 +0000
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