SOUTH Australian agencies spent more than $3 million on telecommunications intercept warrants investigating crime and corruption last financial year.

Federal Government Telecommunications Interception and Access Act annual report figures show SA Police spent $2,961,807 on 132 warrants in 2013-14.

This included 68 warrants for investigations into serious drug offences and a further 43 for murder cases.

Police were able to make 121 arrests from the 132 warrants issued.

The South Australian Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) spent $45,420 on six telecommunications intercept warrants during probes for bribery and corruption offences.

The report states that lawful telecommunications interception is “an effective investigative tool that supports and complements information obtained through other methods”.

It states that accessing content or the substance of communication — including an email and its subject line, discussion between two parties to a phone call, or a private social media post — without the knowledge of the person making the communication was highly privacy intrusive.

It can only happen under an interception or stored communications warrant or in certain limited circumstances such as a life-threatening emergency.

“In many cases, the weight of evidence obtained through telecommunications interception results in defendants entering guilty pleas, thereby eliminating the need for the intercepted information to be introduced into evidence,” the report states.

The figures come as ICAC Commissioner Bruce Lander revealed a State Government worker, 36, had been charged with abuse of public office.

The Semaphore Park man, who was employed as a Government program manager, was charged with six counts of abuse of public office by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

It is alleged the offences happened between December 6, 2012, and May 16, 2014.

He was further charged with four counts of dishonestly dealing with documents, which allegedly happened between February 13, 2013, and May 16, 2014.

The nature of the alleged offending has not been disclosed.

In a written statement, Mr Lander said the ICAC investigated the allegations after receiving a report.

It referred its findings to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which laid the charges.

“As a result of a report made to my office, which I assessed as raising a potential matter of corruption under the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2012 (ICAC Act), I commenced an investigation into the conduct of a public officer working in South Australian public administration,” Mr Lander said.

“The outcome of that investigation was a referral from my office to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“The DPP have responded by laying charges against a 36-year-old man from Semaphore Park.”

The man will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on July 24.