sterile corridor

A generation ago a policeman who found a good contact in the criminal world would guard such a resource jealously. He or she might not even disclose the identity of the contact let alone allow others to speak to them. But this has ended badly in a number of cases, most notably recently in the Victorian case involving Nicola Gobbo.  Now there is a new system in place. When an informant is established, a dedicated handler immediately takes control of all communications with that person so that the handler remains as a neutral person between the informant and the police. This arrangement is referred to as a sterile corridor.  I suspect the system and the name for it came to us from British policing.

So now we have the Chinese wall in business, a barrier between those in an organisation who are trading on the stock exchange and those doing business, so that there can be no hint of insider trading.  And we have the sterile corridor in the police force. Let’s hope it all works.