Chapter 1
Ombudsman's review
Compliance auditing
The Ombudsman is responsible for inspecting the records of law enforcement and other agencies concerning their use of statutory powers that enable telecommunications interception, access to stored communications, use of surveillance devices and controlled operations. The agencies include the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), some state and territory law enforcement and integrity agencies, and some other enforcement agencies. The purpose of the inspections is to ensure statutory compliance and the adequacy and comprehensiveness of records. This contributes to the integrity of those enforcement activities.
During 2008–09 we carried out 30 inspections, compared to 19 in 2007–08. We inspected the records of 15 different agencies, compared to five in 2007–08. This included eight inspections of the AFP, six of the ACC, two of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, two of the New South Wales Police, and one inspection each of 11 other agencies. The increase in inspections was predominantly due to increased access to stored communications (for example, emails) by agencies.
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