Hundreds of charges of illegal access to a Victoria Police database laid against a Geelong custody manager have been dropped as the case against him collapsed.
Andrew Frame had worked at the Geelong station until he was placed under investigation and later charged with 363 counts related to unauthorised use of the system.
But the case has collapsed, leaving Mr Frame angry and wanting compensation for his treatment.
Some charges were withdrawn in January this year and, Mr Frame says, the rest were gone soon after respected barrister Robert Richter KC became involved.
Those were dropped on the day Mr Frame, who was a supervising police custody officer, was to face Geelong Magistrates’ Court where he intended to fight the prosecution.
He was to defend himself on the basis that he had made the checks of individuals after requests to do so from sworn police members or to identify offenders published on bulletins and circulars provided to him.
Others required checks as part of day-to-day administrative duties, he said.
Mr Frame said the prosecution had agreed his use of the system was in an “occupational context and not nefarious”.
He pointed out that a police custody officer from Mill Park had previously been lauded for his work familiarising himself with people sought by police.
That officer won praise for, among other things, his work to “interrogate LEAP (the Law Enforcement Assistance Program) to read narratives and view photos.”
“It (the prosecution) was malicious, 100 per cent,” Mr Frame said.
Mr Frame said the police custody officers manual stated part of the role was to provide intelligence and analytical support.
Mr Frame said he was stood down in the same week he agreed to be a witness in a Fair Work unfair dismissal inquiry into the sacking of a fellow PCO.
He said that since the Dani Laidley scandal, Victoria Police had pushed the view that it would take a hard line on system misuse.
“It appears they were using me as a scapegoat for others’ misuse of the system. At all times I used the systems for work purposes to help solve crime in the community,” Mr Frame said.
Mr Frame said he had lost some respect for the force as a result of his experience.
This was despite having grown up in a police household as the son of respected former deputy commissioner John Frame.
A Victoria Police statement said the charges were withdrawn after consultation with the Office of Public Prosecutions.
An OPP statement said: “After careful consideration of a complex and thorough brief prepared by Victoria Police, the Director of Public Prosecutions determined that the charges should be withdrawn.”