Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Police have released the results of a rapid review into their IT systems and devices, finding there are “opportunities to strengthen and tighten controls on this use”.
The review was launched in May following the resignation of then-deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming after allegations objectionable material was found on hiswork computer.
Police say the use of police devices, including laptops and cell phones, and access to police-held information is governed by strict Police Instructions. Police conduct checks on individual devices if and when concerns are raised.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said on Monday that the review found police had a ”range of modern security controls which protect Police information and systems from malicious activity”.
“Most user activity is logged in line with good industry practice and there is clear guidance and expectations for staff around acceptable use,” he said.
But areas of improvement were found, including needing more monitoring of staff internet use and stronger filtering mechanisms to “guard against inappropriate or harmful content being accessed or downloaded”.
There was also a recommendation for better oversight of all police-owned devices, including those “that sit outside the Police network for legitimate work purposes”.
“Police is an extremely complex workplace and different levels of security settings will always be required by some staff for lawful policing purposes. Some staff also require devices that operate outside the central Police system.
“However, the review has made it very clear the current settings are not robust enough and urgent attention is required. The report includes recommendations to strengthen the settings.”
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers released the results on Monday. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Chambers said police would re-introduce audits of data and internet usage on police devices, a process that he said was halted four to five years ago. This will recommence “as soon as possible”.
Police will also initiate “an assessment of Police-owned standalone devices which operate outside the Police network”.
“While there are legitimate work reasons for such devices, clarity is needed around the oversight of them.”
He has requested a plan to consider the review’s recommendation and address key issues to be done quickly and he expects further decisions to be made within the month.
Among the report’s recommendations are:
Deploy advanced filtering mechanisms to block unauthorised websites
Enhance monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to use of internet outside policy
Implement tools to gain visibility into the security posture of unmanaged devices
Invest in centralised logging and analysis tools to improve visibility into user activity and network traffic
Allocate resources to continuous monitoring and incident response
Develop procedures for regular review and analysis of monitoring data
When Chambers announced the review, he said “personal use of Police technology is limited and users must agree to abide by Police values and standards of behaviour when using their devices”.
“Generally, Police devices are blocked from accessing categories of websites and services that are illegal or banned or those that could adversely affect Police ICT systems.
“Other websites which are categorised as potentially hosting unwanted or offensive material require the user to agree the interaction is necessary and in line with the Police code of conduct.
“There are some exemptions for police staff whose work requires access to content that is blocked on most Police devices, such as for investigative purposes.”
