Report under Section 49(1) of the Surveillance Devices Act 2007 for the period ending 31 December 2016 - March 2017

The Surveillance Devices Act 2007 (NSW) (the Act) allows for the use of surveillance devices to investigate crime and to enable evidence to be obtained of the commission of such crime or the identity or location of the offender(s). The Act covers the installation, use and maintenance of listening, optical, tracking, and data surveillance devices and restricts the communication and publication of private conversations, surveillance activities, and information obtained from their use. The Act also establishes an accountability regime. Reporting and record keeping obligations are imposed on the law enforcement agencies eligible to use surveillance devices as are provisions for the safe keeping and destruction of information obtained from the use of surveillance devices. The Act requires the NSW Ombudsman to conduct inspections of the surveillance device records of law enforcement agencies to determine the extent of compliance by those agencies and their officers with the Act.

This report is for the period 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016.