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52.
Some people have expresscd concern at what they have called
the Operations Department's methods of investigation. The operation
of any law enforcement agency needs to be supervised punctilliously
and constantly to ensure that methods of investigation are beyond
reproach. I know that the Commissioner and Director of Operations
fully accept this since they are convinced that the credibility and
acceptability of the Commission could be undermined if practices and
procedures were not of the highest possible standard.
53.
The major target of the Operations Department at present is
organised syndicated corruption within the public service.
The
Commission has already secured the removal of many of the corrupt in
these syndicates, and has disturbed the activities of others; some
have ceased operations altogether, while others are at least dormant.
In fact the Commissioner believes that at present there are no major
corruption syndicatec in active operation. Nevertheless the existence
within the public service of persons who profited from them is
unacceptable, and they must be tracked down and dealt with.
54.
Corruption generally and syndicated corruption in particular
may no longer be the serious problem it was before the advent of ICAC,
but I have not the slightest doubt that if criminals once believed that
the heat was off we would soon be right back where we started. So
although progress is most encouraging, pressure on all forms of
corruption will be maintained inexorably.
55.
The success gained is giving the Commission's two other
departments for Prevention and Public Education a chance to make
progress with their challenging tasks of reducing possibilities for
corruption and changing public attitudes to it. I am very pleased
to see how the activities of these two departments are becoming
increasingly prominent in all the Commission's work.
/Narcotics