The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) continued the fight against major crime and public sector misconduct last financial year, helping to keep Queenslanders safe and the public sector accountable.
The details are set out in the CMC’s Annual Report 2013-14, which was tabled in State Parliament today (30 September 2014). This is the CMC’s final annual report. On 1 July 2014, the CMC became the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).
The CCC’s Acting Chairman, Dr Ken Levy, said despite a busy year responding to the recommendations of several reviews and preparing for the transition from the CMC to the CCC, staff had stayed focused on fighting crime and misconduct.
“During the last financial year, the CMC conducted 44 major crime investigations,” Dr Levy said.
This includes ongoing investigations into criminal organisations, investigations into criminal paedophilia, and investigations where the CCC has assisted the Queensland Police Service (QPS) by holding coercive hearings.
“As a result, the CMC charged 79 people with 403 criminal offences and seized drugs with an estimated street value of nearly $3.8 million,” Dr Levy said.
“The crime hearings team held 348 days of coercive hearings, including intelligence hearings, which significantly advanced CMC and QPS investigations.”
The proceeds of crime team froze almost $13.8 million worth of property and returned nearly $7.7 million worth of assets to the State.
Investigations by the CMC’s criminal paedophilia unit, Cerberus, led to 12 people being charged with 148 offences and eight children being removed from harmful or potentially harmful environments.
The CMC’s misconduct area received 3 881 complaints containing 8 688 separate allegations.
Sixty-one misconduct investigations were finalised, resulting in eight people being charged with 138 criminal offences. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is considering 35 criminal charges against another six people. The CMC also made 122 recommendations for disciplinary action against 28 public sector employees.
The witness protection program kept all witnesses safe and ensured that, where necessary, they were able to give their evidence in court.
In October and November 2013 the State Government gave the CMC new powers and an additional $6.7 million in funding to respond to the threat of criminal motorcycle gangs (CMGs).
In the last financial year, the CMC held 155 days of CMG-related coercive hearings, including intelligence hearings. The CMC gathered valuable intelligence which contributed to the compilation and distribution of 163 classified intelligence reports to law enforcement agencies.
A new proceeds of crime team was established to help to target CMGs’ assets. Last financial year, the CMC froze $3.7 million worth of property with links to CMGs.
The CMC also set up a misconduct investigation team to probe links between CMGs and public sector employees. Between January and June 2014 this team completed 11 investigations and made 16 disciplinary recommendations to the QPS.
Dr Levy said the results highlighted the importance of the CMC, now the CCC, as a niche law enforcement and integrity agency in Queensland.
“For another year the CMC has continued its important role in helping to keep Queenslanders safe and ensuring the public sector is held to account,” Dr Levy said.
“As we progress our work as the CCC, the agency will continue to target the criminal groups that pose the greatest threat to Queenslanders, stamp out corruption in the public sector, maintain independent oversight of the police and protect witnesses from possible harm.”
ENDS
