Tasmania Police have tightened their procedures around the use of listening devices in prisons after a review revealed a number of warrants were invalid.
The independent review, headed by former DPP Damian Bugg, looked at 19 surveillance device warrants used in Tasmanian prisons over a 12-year period to January 1, 2024.
It found that four of these, linked to the case of lawyer Jeffrey Ian Thompson who was connected to a high-profile murder appeal, were invalid due to administrative errors.
The issue came to light after a listening device was accidentally left recording in a Risdon Prison meeting room for three months, during which 723 meetings took place.
Bugg’s report found no evidence of the recordings being used in court and made 11 recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, including more training for police and better oversight of the warrant process.
Tasmania Police say they have implemented solutions to many of the issues raised in the review, reassuring the public that recordings of confidential conversations between lawyers and their clients were not listened to or used.
The surveillance devices were ‘wiped clean’ when retrieved from the prison, without being played back.
“Tasmania Police committed to numerous actions to ensure that our officers comply strictly with the law,” Commissioner Donna Adams said.
“As part of this commitment, new internal procedures have been implemented for obtaining surveillance device warrants.”
“A specialised training package is being developed and will be included on all investigative training courses from June 2024. Additional training will also be provided to all current detectives to ensure legislative compliance.”
