Beguiled by the 'Glittering Prize' : Systemic and ethical culture failings in the management of Informer 3838
Harfield, Clive
Harfield, Clive
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Abstract
Politicians and public alike wanted to know why Victoria Police (Australia) were making little substantive headway investigating a seemingly unstoppable wave of serious and organized crimes, manifested not least in a murderous gangland war that had lasted over a decade (AAP, 2014). Whoever was really in control of the streets of Melbourne, through journalism’s lens it did not appear to be Victoria Police. For the both the organization’s executive command, and for frontline detectives – feeling the heat of public and political scrutiny (McMurdo, 2020:v1, pp.80-81) - when presented with an unparalleled, unprecedented, opportunity to gather information from a source trusted by those under investigation; a source who knew exactly how and in what ways the suspects were vulnerable; a source who could provide information that would not only secure evidence but also inform prosecution strategy and so secure convictions, the attraction of the proposition seemed a no-brainer: why wouldn’t you?
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Date
2026-04
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Book chapter
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Handbook of human intelligence
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1-17
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ACU Department
Thomas More Law School
Faculty of Law and Business
Faculty of Law and Business
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Forthcoming publication.
© 2026 Edward Elgar Publishing. All rights reserved.
© 2026 Edward Elgar Publishing. All rights reserved.