The Crime Commission has warned that young, drug-taking, social-media-savvy public servants are big targets for organised crime.

In written evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into border security integrity of, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) said there is an “emerging generational risk posed by younger employees”.

It said the popularity of social media combined with “a lack of discretion about personal information and images placed online” makes young government workers stand out to criminal groups.

Meanwhile, the Australian Federal Police warned in its submission that government staff who are bored or have “frustrated ambition” pose a corruption threat too.

The ACC said corrupt public officials target their colleagues in order to build “trust [and] social obligation” to become complicit in their dodginess.

The commission also warned of young people’s increased willingness to “partake in risk-taking behaviour” such as performance-enhancing drug use, as mingling with the sorts of people that supply these drugs “undermines the legitimate efforts of border control agencies to detect and deter illicit importation”.

Their warnings are not without precedent, as there have been a number of instances where criminal groups have had people within government ranks helping them get illegal goods into Australia.

Thirty people were arrested in 2013, 30 as part of sting on a network of illegal performance-enhancing drug users.

The group included customs and agriculture department officials at Sydney Airport, who used insider knowledge and privileged access to manipulate rosters and job placements that allowed them to import drugs and then cover their tracks.

They were undone after the seizure of 54 kilograms of pseudoephedrine..

The Australian Crime Commission also warned there were gaps and weaknesses in workers’ access to secure border areas, which are exploited by organised crime groups as well.

The commission says the Aviation Security Identification Card and Maritime Security Identification Card are good for low level background checks, but cannot do much to address major criminal or corrupt activity.

Nefarious groups “who seek to gain or maintain employment, disguise criminal interests and undermine access controls,” are exploiting the scheme, the ACC says.

The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development – which is charge of the security of aviation and maritime transport industries – says it is “committed to reducing criminal influence at airports and sea ports” and pledged to strengthen the security identification card schemes.

The department says eligibility criteria should be strengthened to screen out those who have committed serious criminal offences.

It is also looking at biometric technology – such as facial recognition - to strengthen identity verification.