Sensitive Police reports to be sent over the Net - News - Security

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Sensitive Police reports to be sent over the Net

By Andrew Colley, 0
January 30, 2003
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Sensitive-Police-reports-to-be-sent-over-the-Net/0,130061744,120271647,00.htm

Highly sensitive crime information will be sent across the Internet following the installation of a new computer-aided document distribution system at an Adelaide forensics institute.

Adelaide's Forensic Science Centre has integrated its laboratory equipment with an automated document-compiling system that will deliver data files that may contain reports matching suspects' DNA samples to crime scenes, and convicted offender lists, to police via e-mail.

Steven Fitzgerald, manager of professional services for the system developer, Shaw Solutions, offered few details about the type and strength of cryptography used to protect the documents but said access to them would password controlled.

"We're using e-mail but encrypted e-mail...we've got certain cryptology algorithms here that we use too so it can be passed around through e-mail networks without it actually being broken," said Fitzgerald.

According to Fitzgerald, the new system, called CaseMan, would not revolutionise crime investigation but would help South Australian police complete cases more quickly than before.

"We've just brought in current technologies and really sped up the internal processes at Forensic," said Fitzgerald.

Prior to the implementation of the system, results were sent manually using conventional fax or postal services.

According to figures obtained by Shaw Solutions, the South Australia forensic facility currently assists around 8,000 criminal investigations each year, and the number is expected to rise to around 25,000 as a result of new DNA legislation to be introduced in the state this year.

Fitzgerald said AFSC would soon add an illicit drugs processing module to improve police intelligence concerning the quantity and quality of drugs circulating on the streets.