Computer misuse ‘common’

Press, 13 February 1986, Page 1

Computer misuse ‘common’

By

PETER COMER

Police misuse of the Wanganui computer, from finding out the names of women seen in cars to supplying information to vehicle repossession agents is fairly common, according to a retired police sergeant. The man, who retired a few months ago after a number of years in the New Zealand police, said the Auckland police chief, Mr Brian Davies, was “burying his head in the sand” over the computer issue.

Mr Davies had said that recent newspaper reports alleging widespread unofficial use of the computer needed to be backed up by evidence. He challenged assertions by another former policeman that “the majority” of the police made unofficial use of the computer, particularly to check the identities of vehicle owners.

That officer resigned in Wellington last year after he was caught giving information from the computer about car owners to his brother-in-law.

The former sergeant said in Christchurch yesterday that misuse of the Wanganui computer “happens all the time.”

“For him (Mr Davies) to say it does not is burying his head in the sand,” he said.

“The thing is that if they ever catch anyone, it will be by accident. Everyone has a free hand with the computer, but when someone like the bloke in Wellington is caught, he is crucified.” He believes that regulations covering police use of the computer are too lax, and that there are too many computer terminals readily accessible in police stations throughout New Zealand.

Police are supposed to key their initials and serial number into the computer to get information out of it.

“Otherwise there is no record of who obtained the information. All you have to do is to punch in a couple of Xs, or a false name and number, and away you go,” he said. The former sergeant said that he had worked in Dunedin with three policemen who repossessed cars as a second job in their off-duty time.

“The computer was great for them. They just pushed a button and got all the background information that no other

repossession agent would have,” he said. He had quite often used the Wanganui computer for other than police work himself, mostly just out of curiosity. “I found out things about my own family and in-laws that I wouldn’t have known otherwise,” said the retired officer.

“I have seen guys use the computer to check up on a pretty woman they have seen in a car. You know how it is: when a young guy meets a girl he might use the computer to find out about her family and friends and so on,” he said.

“If someone wants to buy a car he can easily find the previous owner, give him a phone call and ask him all about it.”

The retired sergeant said he had “no doubt” that favours were sometimes exchanged in return for the supply of information from the computer, particularly in relation to vehicles, but only on a small scale. He said he did not believe that any policeman had used the computer for criminal purposes. Most unofficial use of it was harmless, he said.

“It is just something that happens,” he

The retired sergeant believes it would be almost impossible to provide evidence of unofficial police use of the Wanganui computer, as called for by Mr Davies unless a policeman was caught by accident. Any outsiders who received information were hot going to cut off their source of information by “dobbing in” the officer who supplied it.

Too many visual display

units were linked to the computer than people, could use at any time, he said.

The former sergeant thinks that much tighter restrictions should be put on which police personnel have access to the computer. Some procedure, must be devised whereby the computer would not supply any information unless it had proof of the bona fide identity of the policeman requesting information, he said.