- Inadequate police surveillance blamed for murder of informant
- By Reporters: Nick McKenzie, Rafael Epstein
- AM-ABC Online
- 28/07/2004 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: admin ( 100 articles in 2004 )
Corruption in the Victorian Police Force?
AM - Inadequate police surveillance blamed for murder of informant
TONY EASTLEY: An AM investigation has discovered that Victoria Police's technical resources were so limited that a high level police corruption informer couldn't be given the safer, more sophisticated home surveillance system that was required.
Terrence Hodson and his wife were killed, execution style, at their home last month. No one has been charged with their murder.
Prior to the killings AM understands that a police technician told colleagues that Hodson needed a surveillance system that would record footage that could not be destroyed or stolen by any intruders.
The proposal was discussed but not formally submitted. Hodson was ultimately left with a security system that only recorded vision to VHS tapes on site. When police arrived at the murder scene, they could not find the tapes that almost certainly recorded footage of the killer or killers approaching Hodson's home.
Nick McKenzie and Rafael Epstein prepared our exclusive coverage.
Nick McKenzie reports.
NICK MCKENZIE: Terrence Hodson was to give critical evidence in a major corruption case against two detectives until he and his wife were shot in an execution style killing last month.
Before his death, and with Hodson unwilling to enter a witness protection program, the ethical standards department or ESD agreed to review, and then enhance, the security system already installed in his home.
AM has spoken to multiple police sources. It's understood that in late January a technical specialist from ESD went to Hodson's house. He made a series of written recommendations, including the need for a new security camera at the front of Hodson's home, new video tape recorders, and a small TV to monitor the camera.
Hodson had already installed an alarm, as well as motion detectors around the perimeter of his house. But the ESD technician thought his written recommendations were not the best that Hodson could receive.
AM understands the technician told fellow officers before Hodson's murder, that Hodson would be safer with a digital system to record footage from his surveillance camera.
Such a system could allow ESD officers to remotely access that footage, by covertly sending footage to another computer at a secure location, away from Hodson's home.
AM has been told such proposals were discussed, but they were not submitted in a written report, because what's been described by police sources as "penny pinching."
When homicide detectives arrived at the murder scene, one tape from Hodson's police supplied VHS recorders was missing. That tape almost certainly recorded the murderer's approach down his driveway.
Owen Lloyd is a former Victoria Police Chief Inspector who now works in the security surveillance industry. He says a system which only uses tapes is bottom of the range.
OWEN LLOYD: Well, I'd say it's an old fashioned system we don't install that sort of system anymore now. If somebody takes a tape out of it, well everything's gone.
NICK MCKENZIE: Mr Lloyd says digital systems that provide a much greater level of security are readily available and not that expensive.
OWEN LLOYD: Well, a digital system doesn't have to be continually fed, it doesn't have to monitored in that way, it can be stored on site, it can be stored elsewhere, they could be taking pictures on site and they can be transmitted instantly and recorded off site.
In a case like this, you should put in the best you can get and you should take into account all the problems that could be encountered and design a system that can't be beaten.
NICK MCKENZIE: Evidence at the murder scene strongly suggests Hodson and his wife were killed by someone they knew, someone who would most likely have approached along the only friendly route available - the driveway at the front of the house, which could be seen clearly by the security camera.
The more advanced digital system, talked about within the ethical standards department, would have made it much harder for the murderer or murderers to cover their tracks.
But AM understands the ESD technical support unit has bought no new covert surveillance equipment in the current financial year.
The unit could only supply a digital surveillance system which fed footage to a remote location - if internal resources were sacrificed or resources were brought in from another unit.
The ABC has sent nineteen questions to the police media unit, asking if proposals for a digital system were discussed, if the possibility of securing the footage off site was discussed, and if any ideas were dismissed because of a lack of funds.
AM also asked if Hodson had, for any reason, knocked back any of these proposals. AM received a brief emailed response from the senior officer in charge of ESD, Assistant Commissioner Kieran Walshe.
The email refers only to the written security assessment report, which did not mention off site or digital recording.
EMAIL TRANSCRIPT: I have read the security assessment and the issue of off site recording is not identified or referred to at any stage. We should make no further comment whatsoever with regard to the security at the Hodson residence.
NICK MCKENZIE: AM has learnt members of ESD's technical support unit are now refusing to conduct future home security reviews and installations for witnesses, claiming it is not their core responsibility.
That refusal also applies to the homes of ESD internal investigators who have been threatened. It's a move likely only to fuel the argument that corruption detectives aren't getting all the help they need.
TONY EASTLEY: Nick McKenzie.
AM - Inadequate police surveillance blamed for murder of informant
TONY EASTLEY: An AM investigation has discovered that Victoria Police's technical resources were so limited that a high level police corruption informer couldn't be given the safer, more sophisticated home surveillance system that was required.
Terrence Hodson and his wife were killed, execution style, at their home last month. No one has been charged with their murder.
Prior to the killings AM understands that a police technician told colleagues that Hodson needed a surveillance system that would record footage that could not be destroyed or stolen by any intruders.
The proposal was discussed but not formally submitted. Hodson was ultimately left with a security system that only recorded vision to VHS tapes on site. When police arrived at the murder scene, they could not find the tapes that almost certainly recorded footage of the killer or killers approaching Hodson's home.
Nick McKenzie and Rafael Epstein prepared our exclusive coverage.
Nick McKenzie reports.
NICK MCKENZIE: Terrence Hodson was to give critical evidence in a major corruption case against two detectives until he and his wife were shot in an execution style killing last month.
Before his death, and with Hodson unwilling to enter a witness protection program, the ethical standards department or ESD agreed to review, and then enhance, the security system already installed in his home.
AM has spoken to multiple police sources. It's understood that in late January a technical specialist from ESD went to Hodson's house. He made a series of written recommendations, including the need for a new security camera at the front of Hodson's home, new video tape recorders, and a small TV to monitor the camera.
Hodson had already installed an alarm, as well as motion detectors around the perimeter of his house. But the ESD technician thought his written recommendations were not the best that Hodson could receive.
AM understands the technician told fellow officers before Hodson's murder, that Hodson would be safer with a digital system to record footage from his surveillance camera.
Such a system could allow ESD officers to remotely access that footage, by covertly sending footage to another computer at a secure location, away from Hodson's home.
AM has been told such proposals were discussed, but they were not submitted in a written report, because what's been described by police sources as "penny pinching."
When homicide detectives arrived at the murder scene, one tape from Hodson's police supplied VHS recorders was missing. That tape almost certainly recorded the murderer's approach down his driveway.
Owen Lloyd is a former Victoria Police Chief Inspector who now works in the security surveillance industry. He says a system which only uses tapes is bottom of the range.
OWEN LLOYD: Well, I'd say it's an old fashioned system we don't install that sort of system anymore now. If somebody takes a tape out of it, well everything's gone.
NICK MCKENZIE: Mr Lloyd says digital systems that provide a much greater level of security are readily available and not that expensive.
OWEN LLOYD: Well, a digital system doesn't have to be continually fed, it doesn't have to monitored in that way, it can be stored on site, it can be stored elsewhere, they could be taking pictures on site and they can be transmitted instantly and recorded off site.
In a case like this, you should put in the best you can get and you should take into account all the problems that could be encountered and design a system that can't be beaten.
NICK MCKENZIE: Evidence at the murder scene strongly suggests Hodson and his wife were killed by someone they knew, someone who would most likely have approached along the only friendly route available - the driveway at the front of the house, which could be seen clearly by the security camera.
The more advanced digital system, talked about within the ethical standards department, would have made it much harder for the murderer or murderers to cover their tracks.
But AM understands the ESD technical support unit has bought no new covert surveillance equipment in the current financial year.
The unit could only supply a digital surveillance system which fed footage to a remote location - if internal resources were sacrificed or resources were brought in from another unit.
The ABC has sent nineteen questions to the police media unit, asking if proposals for a digital system were discussed, if the possibility of securing the footage off site was discussed, and if any ideas were dismissed because of a lack of funds.
AM also asked if Hodson had, for any reason, knocked back any of these proposals. AM received a brief emailed response from the senior officer in charge of ESD, Assistant Commissioner Kieran Walshe.
The email refers only to the written security assessment report, which did not mention off site or digital recording.
EMAIL TRANSCRIPT: I have read the security assessment and the issue of off site recording is not identified or referred to at any stage. We should make no further comment whatsoever with regard to the security at the Hodson residence.
NICK MCKENZIE: AM has learnt members of ESD's technical support unit are now refusing to conduct future home security reviews and installations for witnesses, claiming it is not their core responsibility.
That refusal also applies to the homes of ESD internal investigators who have been threatened. It's a move likely only to fuel the argument that corruption detectives aren't getting all the help they need.
TONY EASTLEY: Nick McKenzie.
1Will not be visible to public.
2Receive notification of other comments posted for this article. To cease notification after having posted click here.
3To make a link clickable in the comments box enclose in link tags - ie.<link>Link</link>.
4To show an image enclose the image URL in tags - ie.<image>https://fredspage.com/box.jpg</image>. Note: image may be resized if too large
To further have your say, head to our forum Click Here
To contribute a news article Click Here
To view or contribute a Quote Click Here