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Probation officer fired for unauthorised access to offender records, Corrections criticised for privacy breach handling

Probation Services news
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The Department of Corrections has dismissed probation officer Xu Shan for accessing information about dozens of offenders without proper authorisation.

Employed in November 2022 at Waitākere’s Community Probation Services, Xu was suspended in December and terminated in April 2023 for serious misconduct. According to a report in legacy media, he accessed the Integrated Offender Management System (IOMS) 81 times, viewing records of 57 offenders, only 14 of whom were on his caseload.

The unauthorised access was discovered when he was challenged over an open file on his computer. Despite warnings, Xu continued to breach privacy protocols, leading to his dismissal.

Corrections has faced internal criticism for its handling of the breach. An internal investigation revealed that Corrections had not notified the Privacy Commissioner about the incidents, potentially exposing it to fines. Privacy staff were also not informed until after the breach became public, prompting a rebuke for failing to report the issue promptly and for not apologising to affected inmates.

While Corrections eventually contacted 21 offenders, they were unable to reach the rest.

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