Another ​Queensland cop caught out for alleged unauthorised data access

A Queensland police officer has been charged for alleged unauthorised access and disclosure of confidential information accessed via the Queensland Police Service Qprime [Queensland Police Records and Information Management Exchange] database system.

The 47-year-old sergeant from the Brisbane region has been served with a notice to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on July 18, 2016, following an investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).

According to the CCC, when in court the serving officer is expected to be faced with three counts of misconduct in relation to public office, and three alternative charges of computer hacking and misuse, which are in breach of the Queensland Criminal Code.

This is the second incident in less than a month where a Queensland police officer has been caught for allegedly accessing and releasing confidential data.

A 38-year-old constable, who was stood down, was served a notice by the CCC to appear in court regarding allegations he inappropriately accessed and released confidential information from the state's police database.

The officer was charged with one count of misconduct in relation to public office, and another of improperly disclosing information in breach of the Police Service Administration Act or alternatively computer hacking and misuse.

Meanwhile, former Gold Coast bikini model Renee Eaves announced in an impact statement posted on her personal website dated June 2016 that she will be lodging a formal complaint against Queensland Police. This comes after filing a Right to Information Application, which uncovered that her personal files on Qprime were accessed 1,475 times.

"I will allege my privacy has been breached, I will name the persons and departments I went to with my concerns about my concern of this happening, that did nothing leading up to this detailed document being provided to myself," Eaves wrote.

"I say they have been professionally negligent, failed their duty of care, they have not been impartial, I will say there has been a conflict of interest that exists due to these members [sic] private interests. They are liable as a result."

However, under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Act 2015 that was passed by the Australian government last March and came into effect in October, law-enforcement agencies such as the Queensland Police are able to access customers' call records, location information, IP addresses, billing information, and other data stored for two years by telcos, without a warrant.

In a recent report by the Queensland CCC, it revealed the Queensland Police made up 67 percent of the around 400 allegations of information misuse in the state during 2014-15, and 65 percent to March in this financial year.

"In this financial year alone, 483 such allegations have been received and ... this type of allegation is not only increasing in number but is also an increasing percentage of all allegations of corrupt conduct received by the CCC (7% in 2014-15 to 11.5% in 2016)," the report said.