More than 70 Victorian court cases potentially affected amid investigation into police employee

More than 70 cases currently before the courts may be affected by the arrest of a Victoria police staff member who is the subject of an ongoing investigation, the force has confirmed.

In a statement, a police spokesperson said the staff member was arrested on 5 August and suspended without pay as the professional standards command (PSC) continued its investigation.

Police have not revealed the allegations that prompted the investigation and the subsequent audit of the staff member’s work, first reported by the ABC.

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“At this time we have identified 77 active court matters which may be impacted and are subject to re-assessment in relation to forensic data,” police said in a statement.

The spokesperson said police have completed 52 of those assessments, with 46 requiring the re-extraction and analysis of data from electronic devices.

“That process is currently being undertaken by the Cybercrime Squad. The overall assessment process remains ongoing.”

The police spokesperson said the force would work with state and federal prosecutors “to look at the impact of the ongoing PSC inquiry on any current investigations or court matters”.