Media Releases

Organised crime groups are grooming public servants to leak confidential information to help them break the law, with public sector agencies largely in the dark about the potential for corruption.

The threat of the exploitation of public servants is a significant risk to the Victorian public sector, according to new research by the state anti-corruption commission.

“Most public sector bodies hold information or commodities that criminal groups can use to help them commit crimes and they are willing to go to great lengths to get what they want,” IBAC CEO Alistair Maclean said.

“There is increasing evidence of people involved in criminal activity attempting to use public servants who have access to sensitive or valuable information in order to further their illegal activities or avoid detection.”

Social media and shared interests such as bodybuilding, martial arts and tattoo culture are making it easier than ever before for criminals to screen, befriend and corrupt public servants.

“The amount of public information available on social media and evolving interests in fitness and tattoo culture give criminals easy avenues to access and infiltrate today’s public servants.”

IBAC’s research highlights the threat of criminal cultivation is not on the radar for public sector agencies.

Without awareness of the risk to their organisation and employees, public bodies are unequipped to detect and report corrupt approaches and employees are unlikely to be able to identify and repel targeting by crime groups.

“Once criminals have made a connection, the employee can be exploited for a long time if the leaks are not detected.”

“This type of corruption not only places the public sector and its employees at risk, it threatens Victorians’ personal information and privacy,” Mr Maclean said.

Public sector bodies with access to law enforcement, identity and credit card information are most likely to be targeted by criminal groups. Additionally, decision-making and regulatory bodies in the construction, planning, prostitution, gaming and liquor industries present attractive opportunities for crime groups to generate income or launder the proceeds of crime.

“Public sector agencies need to address this threat through risk assessments, as well as have good vetting processes, regular and random audits, and a robust security culture.”

“IBAC is working with public sector agencies to help them understand, assess and manage the risk of criminal groups grooming their employees.”