Former Victoria Police chief commissioner Simon Overland has denied he blatantly ignored concerns about Nicola Gobbo snitching on her clients, as he was accused of not wanting to get legal advice because it would have put an end to the practice.

Key points: Simon Overland repeatedly said he did not know who Ms Gobbo's clients were

Simon Overland repeatedly said he did not know who Ms Gobbo's clients were The counsel assisting the commissioner accused him of having his "head in the sand" In a statement to the commission, Mr Overland said Victoria Police was addicted to the information it was getting from Ms Gobbo

Giving evidence at the Lawyer X royal commission for a fourth day, Mr Overland was quizzed over his claim his detectives never told him Ms Gobbo was informing on her criminal clientele.

Mr Overland has repeatedly told the inquiry he did not know the barrister-turned-informer was representing drug boss Tony Mokbel when she was registered as a human source.

He also said he never asked which other people she was acting for as she fed information to police.

Evidence has been put before the inquiry that former assistant commissioner Jack Blayney raised his concerns about Ms Gobbo's role with Mr Overland in 2007 — when Mr Overland was the assistant commissioner for crime.

Mr Overland said he was not told directly of Mr Blayney's concerns or his thoughts about getting legal advice.

"On the best view it looks like you're putting your head in the sand and ignoring something which was glaringly obvious," counsel assisting the commissioner, Chris Winneke QC, pressed. "No," Mr Overland replied. "On the other hand you know that it's wrong and you don't want to get a legal opinion," Mr Winneke said. "No," Mr Overland said.

Victoria Police was "addicted" to the information Ms Gobbo provided, Mr Overland said. ( ABC News: Greg Nelson )

The inquiry has heard Victoria Police only got legal advice in 2011, two years after the force had stopped using Ms Gobbo as a source.

In his statement, Mr Overland said Mokbel was a person of interest in a number of shooting and homicide investigations.

Yet he maintained he never knew Mokbel was Ms Gobbo's client when she was signed up as an informant in September 2005.

Mr Winneke pointed to the media attention Mokbel garnered and TV news stories showing Ms Gobbo constantly by his side outside court.

"I am not sure I was aware that she was acting for Mr Mokbel at that time," Mr Overland said. "Do you have a television? Did you watch the nightly news?" Mr Winneke asked. "No, I am often not home," Mr Overland replied.

He said he found out Ms Gobbo was acting for Mokbel after he skipped bail and fled to Greece in 2006.

Mr Overland also could not recall knowing Ms Gobbo was representing Faruk Orman, who has since had his murder conviction overturned as a result of the legal scandal.

Mr Winneke accused Mr Overland ignoring the "glaringly obvious" facts about Ms Gobbo's informing. ( Supplied: Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants )

Gobbo 'addicted' to being at the centre of everything

On Wednesday, former chief commissioner Christine Nixon told Commissioner Margaret McMurdo she was kept in the dark about Ms Gobbo being a police informer, finding out from the media when the true identity of Lawyer X was revealed.

She blamed her deputy, Mr Overland, for not telling her.

Mr Overland was asked why he did not let his boss know when Ms Gobbo's car was fire-bombed in April 2008, after she had received multiple threats.

"You say it was still not appropriate to let the chief commissioner know what you were doing," Mr Winneke said. "Yes," Mr Overland replied.

Mr Winneke said by then Ms Gobbo was "out of control" and "becoming a racket" with a lot of media attention.

Mr Overland's statement described the lawyer as "the best source of information that I had known in over 20 years".

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But he said she became increasingly difficult to manage and he raised the need for an exit strategy from the arrangement.

From the start, Mr Overland said he was concerned about "her professional integrity and judgement" later reinforced by "her increasingly erratic and self-disregarding behaviours".

"She was addicted to being at the centre of everything," Mr Overland said in his statement.

Likewise, he said, Victoria Police was addicted to the information she provided.