Editorial: Stop costly telco stupidity hindering police

We all remember the absolute joy we felt when the news came through that little Cleo Smith had been found. We can all empathise with families whose loved ones go missing, resulting in text messages from police asking for help to find them. And we can all breathe a sigh of relief when dangerous criminals are taken off the streets through use of modern policing methods that employ clever use of telecommunications. But it comes at a price. On Thursday The West Australian reveals the skyrocketing cost to police of accessing phone and internet data to solve the State’s most significant crimes, and the vast differences in prices being charged for the information by telecommunication companies. The bill to WA Police, and in turn WA taxpayers — increased from $600,000 in the 2018-19 financial year to $1 million in the past 12 months. It has prompted WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch to question whether telcos should be subject to more scrutiny on whether their charges were appropriate. He has appealed for consistent cost modelling for the same services across communications companies and for a way to access them more efficiently, such as automating access, to cut costs. Mr Blanch revealed it costs taxpayers thousands — if not tens of thousands — of dollars in charges to collect enough data evidence to charge a single paedophile using the internet to download child exploitation material. “I think that’s a lot of money for taxpayers to bear when we are trying to do the right thing by the community,” he said. Another example is when tracking a dangerous offender — or somebody whose life is at risk — by using triangulation. It was one of the investigative techniques that was integral in the hunt for the kidnapper who took little Cleo near Carnarvon last year. The West understands Telstra will charge $100 to set up the service, and then 5¢ per signal ping, whereas Vodafone will charge $250 to set up and then $150 per ping. The Telecommunications Act states that companies are able to charge police for access to their data to cover their costs but cannot make a profit. In another surprising example of the cost of life-saving police investigations, to find a missing person with dementia recently, it cost $10,000 just to send out urgent text messages. To send out an emergency SMS alert it costs police $16,000 per 100,000 messages. “Now, we will spend money to save lives all day long,” Mr Blanch said. “But we’ve gone from $600,000 in about 2018 a year to a million dollars this year.” A Vodafone spokesman said differences in costs came down to technical ability and that interactions with law enforcement agencies were on a not-for-profit basis. A Telstra spokesman said the company complied with its obligations to provide assistance and neither profited from, nor carried the cost. Police are likely to increase use of such crime fighting aids. It would be wise to look for a simpler, more uniform and cost effective model. Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie