Lest We Forget

Lest We Forget is a register of incidents highlighting the need for good recordkeeping. Now in its 10th year Lest we Forget is a treasure trove of reasons why good recordkeeping is essential - for good business operation and for upholding the rights and entitlements of individuals.

Lest we Forget is produced by The Synercon Group, developers and distributors of a.k.a.® Information Governance Software.

Poor record-keeping holds back pursuits of justice

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Synercon

Incompetent record keeping is depriving thousands of Victorians of life-changing information, but the Department of Human Services has ”a profound conflict of interest” because fixing the problem would allow a rush of lawsuits, a parliamentary inquiry was told on Friday.

Some 90 per cent of DHS records are not properly managed, and the increasing amount of electronic data is making the problem worse, the Victorian inquiry into how the churches have handled sex abuse heard.

Debbie Prout of the Records and Information Management Professionals of Australasia said by law the department had to ensure records were accessible and discoverable, but the more it did the higher the chance of lawsuits would be….

Ms Prout said the record deficit particularly impacted on the most vulnerable, such as former wards of state, who could not find out information such as surviving relatives or material they could use in seeking compensation.

She said Ombudsman and Auditor-General’s reports showed that record-keeping compliance breaches were ”prolific, recurring and have high risk implications”.

”There is no agency monitoring, no agency compliance reporting, no defined community complaints process, and the penalties for destruction are woeful.”

Poor records hide truth from state wards

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Synercon

An inquiry has heard poor record keeping is contributing to the emotional trauma of Australians raised in orphanages or foster homes.

A state ward trying to piece together their identity was told by the Victorian Department of Human Services their file had been found but there was nothing in it.

Another ward of state was told by the Uniting Church there were too many files to sift through, a Victorian inquiry has heard.

State Audit finds careless record keeping could cost Missouri taxpayers millions (US)

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Synercon

Could careless record keeping cost Missouri taxpayers millions of dollars? It’s a possibility as the feds try to recoup millions in questionable welfare payouts.

Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich latest Single State Audit reveals some startling numbers. “Right now we’re questioning $56 million” said Schweich. His office examined TANF, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, federal dollars that are distributed to low income Missourians.

Schweich told News 4 “What we found is the state government was not able to demonstrate eligibility in 22% of the cases ….people getting benefits couldn’t prove they were eligible.”

Schweich says the payouts require recipients to prove they are looking for work or enrolled in job training and that leads to another problem. “In 42% of the cases there was no demonstration they were meeting the work-seeking requirements of the law” said Schweich. Those numbers concern him. They don’t prove fraud but at the very least reveal a problem with the way case files are kept.

CMC Inquiry hears how “huge mistakes” were made

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Synercon

Recordkeeping practices at Queensland’s Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) remain in the spotlight at the ongoing Parliamentary inquiry into the release of sensitive documents from the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the landmark 1980s investigation into into state police corruption.

A public inquiry is underway into how 4000 documents were destroyed in 2007 and how another 741 documents were made publicly available. These include operational records which deal with records of interview, describe surveillance and named informants.

Posted in Data Protection & Privacy Breaches, Inadequate Systems, Operational Failures | Tagged Justice & Law | Comments Off

Audit finds little record keeping at B.C. company involved in fatal bus crash

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Synercon

VANCOUVER – A British Columbia-based tour operator involved in a fatal bus crash in Oregon failed to monitor how long its drivers were at the wheel and kept poor records on the maintenance of its vehicles, says a safety audit that prompted the province to revoke the company’s licence.

The audit, released this week through a freedom-of-information request, identified violations in every category it measured and recommended the company’s National Safety Code safety certificate be cancelled.

Posted in Exposed through audit, Inadequate Systems, Incomplete records, Non-compliance, Operational Failures | Tagged Transportation | Comments Off

Coroner calls for gun reform after Horden shootings… Woeful recordkeeping (UK)

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Synercon

A coroner has called for “root and branch” gun licensing reform after ruling three women shot in a house in County Durham were unlawfully killed…

In his inquest judgement, (The coroner Andrew Tweddle ) described the deaths as “avoidable”. He said: “The systemic shortcomings highlighted by me today lead me to conclude that, on a balance of probabilities, the four deceased would not have died when they did in the manner in which they did had there been robust, clear and accountable procedures in place.”

Nicholas Long from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said: “Not only did the IPCC investigation uncover a wanton lack of intrusive inquiries by Durham Constabulary, it also identified poor practices which reflect woeful record keeping.

“While some of the failings were down to individuals, the underlying issue was Durham Constabulary’s lack of adequate systems and safeguards.”

House says $1B wasted on veterans’ medical e-records

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Synercon

WASHINGTON — The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have wasted about $1 billion in a failed effort to streamline medical record-keeping, the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee said in a hearing Wednesday…

Defense and VA officials said this month they had abandoned an ambitious plan to integrate medical records for both active-duty servicemembers and veterans into a single electronic system to make the records more accessible for patients and doctors.

After cost estimates doubled and technology problems persisted, they decided on a less expensive plan to keep their current systems while making them “interoperable.”

Finra Fines ING Groep Units $1.2 Million on Alleged Record-Keeping Violations

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Synercon

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fined five affiliates of ING Groep NV (ING, INGA.AE) $1.2 million amid findings that the units of the Netherlands-based banking giant failed to retain or review millions of emails for various periods between 2004 and 2012.

Finra said its findings showed that the units violated record-keeping provisions under federal securities law as well as Finra rules. The firms neither admitted nor denied the charges, but consented to the entry of Finra’s findings.

According to Finra, the ING units failed to properly configure hundreds of employee email accounts to ensure that emails sent to and from those accounts were retained and reviewed. Finra said that at four of the firms, nearly six million emails flagged for supervisory review by email software went unreviewed because the software wasn’t configured properly.

Posted in Inadequate Systems, Inappropriate Disposal or Destruction, Uncategorized | Tagged Banking & Finance, FINRA, ING | Comments Off

Poor record keeping frustrates work of Sole Commissioner (Ghana)

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Synercon

Difficulties in retrieving poorly filed national documents threaten to hamper the work of the Judgement Debt Commission (JDC) as witnesses continue to plead for more time to search for and furnish the Commission with documents on judgement debt payments.

At the public sitting of the JDC in Accra Wednesday, Sole Commissioner Justice Yaw Appau had no choice but grant officials of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) more time to search for documents detailing the often-controversial payments.

The Commission had asked these institutions and others to furnish it with documents in their possession covering judgement debt payments and related matters from 1992 to 2012.

But James Ntim Amponsah, Deputy Controller and Accountant General in charge of the Treasury, told the JDC yesterday that frantic efforts by CAGD officials to retrieve documents from the Public Records Administration and Archives Department (PRAAD) had so far proved futile.

Posted in Breakdowns in Accountability, Inadequate Systems, Lack of transparency, Non-compliance | Tagged Ghana | Comments Off

Records of civil service pension payments ‘unacceptable’ admit officials

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Synercon

Inadequate records of civil service pension payments are “unacceptable”, the government has said after a spending watchdog raised concerns.

The National Audit Office qualified the accounts of the Principal Civil Service
Pension Scheme after Whitehall was unable to provide certain information…Auditors refused to fully sign off the 2011 civil superannuation accounts, which detail the financial results of the main civil service pension scheme…The National Audit Office said the evidence it needed to calculate whether all members of the scheme and their beneficiaries had received correct payments had not been provided…It also said “insufficient evidence” had been provided to reassure Auditor General Amyas Morse that the scheme £144bn liability – the estimated amount needed to cover members’ future payments – was reasonable…While record-keeping had improved “significantly”, it said 6% of payments analysed could not be corroborated by relevant documents and action was needed to “identify gaps in historic records”.

Regulator slams Macquarie unit

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Synercon

AUSTRALIA’S biggest stockbroking firm, Macquarie Equities, has been forced by the corporate regulator to have an independent investigator oversee its operations after the broker was found to have ”serious compliance deficiencies” over four years.

Macquarie Private Wealth, the retail division of investment bank Macquarie Group, has been lambasted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for ”recurring deficiencies” which the corporate regulator claims may have led to Macquarie giving clients inappropriate advice.

The regulator is concerned that hundreds of its brokers and advisers failed to keep proper client records – as required under financial services laws – which may have also resulted in some of the firm’s clients not having enough information to make informed decisions.

Posted in Exposed through audit, Inadequate Systems, Non-compliance | Tagged Banking & Finance | Comments Off

How Did Scores of Military Units Lose Combat Records in the War on Terror?

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Synercon

Extracts from questions answered by Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter Peter Sleeth on the revelation that field reports have been lost or are missing for many Army units deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Posted in Inadequate Systems, Incomplete records, Systemic failure | Tagged Defence, Defense, Veterans Affairs | Comments Off

Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Synercon

A strange thing happened when Christopher DeLara filed for disability benefits after his tour in Iraq: The U.S. Army said it had no records showing he had ever been overseas.

PubNotes:

Over the last decade, dozens of military units deployed in the war on terror have destroyed or failed to keep field reports of their activities, a loss of important historical records that can also make it harder for veterans to prove they qualify for medals or disability benefits. Our reporting found a few reasons behind the problem:

System failure: In a string of critical reports, historians said Army units were losing their own history by failing to keep adequate field records. The U.S. military began relying on computer records during the Gulf War, introducing major gaps in recordkeeping as the old-style paper system fell apart. The Army then introduced a centralized system for collecting electronic field reports, but units have failed to submit records there.

Security concerns: Some military commanders ordered units to purge computer hard drives before redeploying to the United States, destroying any classified field records they contained.

Leadership: Disagreements among military officials have also led to lack of coordination in record-keeping. “The Army would say it’s Centcom’s responsibility… Centcom would say it’s an Army responsibility,” said one Archivist. Recordkeeping took a backseat to wartime demands: “Something just had to fall off the plate, there was so much going on,” a former Centcom records manager said.

Call for overhaul of Major Projects Victoria

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Synercon

The Victorian auditor-general has released a scathing report into the operations and governance of Major Projects Victoria (MPV), saying the body does not operate effectively, efficiently or economically.

The report found poor governance standards and a lack of accountability mean it is unlikely MPV is making the best use of public resources.

It found the unit is not meeting legislative requirements in record keeping and its management of internal contracts increases the risk of fraud.

Police failure to act on information re Carl Williams murder

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Synercon

FORMER Victoria Police chief Simon Overland is at the centre of an extraordinary failure by the force to act on crucial information about the murder in custody of gangland boss Carl Williams.

Victorian Ombudsman George Brouwer has ordered a review of the force’s record-keeping and management of intelligence information after Mr Overland was warned by an interstate integrity body about alleged links between the murder and a potentially corrupt association between public-sector officers and a criminal identity.

Extracts from the report:

Poor record keeping practices

42. Accountability requires that government agencies are able to demonstrate and justify their decision-making. In this regard, the failure of an agency to maintain adequate records compromises the agency’s functions, undermines its credibility and impacts negatively on the public’s perception of it.

43. My investigation identified major deficiencies in the record keeping practices of Victoria Police in relation to the management of this significant intelligence information.

44. I consider that the failure of Victoria Police to keep basic records about the actions taken in response to intelligence information received from the head of an interstate integrity body, detailing serious corruption allegations, is an indictment on its record keeping practices.

Read the full report. Investigation into an alleged corrupt association October 2012

Posted in Inadequate Systems, Incomplete records, Lack of transparency, Operational Failures, Uncategorized | Tagged Police records | Comments Off

Police courier system used as a DNA crime roadblock

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Synercon

LAWYERS are using a landmark police courier system – praised for helping fix the state’s DNA backlog crisis – to argue for evidence to be thrown out of criminal trials.
…

Lawyers are arguing that lax record keeping from the time DNA samples leave police stations to when they arrive at the lab is rendering them unusable as evidence in criminal trials. They are telling magistrates that poor record keeping means there is no way to prove the evidence hasn’t been damaged in transit.

Red more: Sunday Telegraph, September 9 2012

Posted in Inadequate Systems, Lack of transparency, Operational Failures | Tagged Justice & Law, Police records | Comments Off

The Shaw Report – 5 years on

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Synercon

An independent review of the systems in place to protect children and keep them safe in residential care between 1950-1995.

This report is the direct outcome of a debate in the Scottish Parliament on 1st December 2004. The debate was on a motion on behalf of the Public Petitions Committee, seeking an inquiry into past institutional child abuse.

The review depended on the availability of records to fulfil the remit. In practice, however, many aspects of records – from their accessibility to their very existence – proved extremely challenging.

The Keeper of the Records of Scotland conducted a review of Scottish public records legislation following recommendations made by the Shaw Report.

Read the full report:
Historical Abuse Systemic Review: Residential Schools and Children’s Homes in Scotland 1950 to 1995

Read more about the outcomes WRT recordkeeping:
Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011

Impact of the Shaw Report on Public Record-keeping

Posted in Inadequate Systems, Incomplete records, Systemic failure | Tagged Child Protection, Shaw Report | Comments Off

No records of existence of about half of Africa’s children, UNICEF

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Conni

There are no records of the existence for approximately half of all the children on the African continent, says United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The births of these children were never registered, meaning the state knows nothing of their existence and are making no provisions for them, says Cornelius Williams, Regional Adviser: Child Protection at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Williams, from UNICEF’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, is one of the delegates at the 2nd Civil Registration and Vital Statics conference currently underway in Durban, South Africa.

“Could you imagine a child not having an identity, not having an existence written down and so you’re born, you live your life, you die and you never existed in any document…It’s like you were never there. There’s no official record of your existence as a human being,” he said.

SAPS gun records in shambles (South Africa)

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Synercon

KwaZulu-Natal – Hundreds of guns from police station exhibit rooms across KwaZulu-Natal are missing or unaccounted for because of poor record keeping, an audit has found.

The preliminary findings of the check have prompted provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni to put a task team in place to monitor the 184 stations in KZN to ensure their gun files are in order.

The Pentagon has trouble tracking billions of dollars WRT initiatives to couter IEDs (US)

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Synercon

The Pentagon has pumped billions of dollars into programs to counter the dangers of improvised explosive devices over the last decade but still lacks a way to track whether its initiatives are meeting their goals — a circumstance that a government watchdog warns could lead to overlap and wasted taxpayer funds.

Poor record keeping has hindered the Defense Department’s ability to monitor more than 1,300 individual anti-IED projects, complicating any effort by outsiders to assess whether the funds have been well spent, a report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office said.