19 Derbyshire police workers caught abusing force files

[Erica Absetz <erica () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Senior-officer-says-breaches-tolerated-figures/story-18577476-detail/story.html

NINETEEN members of staff at Derbyshire police have breached data
protection rules in the last three years by accessing information they
were not allowed to see.

One officer searched the force database to find information logged
about his relationship with an illegal immigrant. He resigned before
misconduct proceedings could take place.

An inspector was dismissed after he searched the force computer system
and accessed information on an "associate" for a purpose other than
policing.

Other breaches included a PC looking up information on family members,
a staff member searching confidential data relating to an incident
they were involved in outside work and a PCSO checking the Police
National Computer for details about two vehicles and passing this on
to a member of the public.

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Only one member of staff was prosecuted and convicted of criminal
offences. PC Jasbir Dhanda was jailed for two-and-a-half years for
having sex with a prostitute while on duty, as well as searching for
personal information about women on the police database.

Dhanda, who had been suspended from the force when the investigation
into the allegations began, resigned immediately after his conviction
in January 2012.

The figures were released by the force after a Freedom of Information
request by the Derby Telegraph.

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Goodwin said: "We take our
responsibilities under the Data Protection Act very seriously and all
staff and officers receive training about the legislation to ensure
that, as far as possible, breaches do not occur.

"The police service, for obvious reasons, holds very sensitive
information and quite rightly the public expects that the security and
proper use of this information will be safeguarded at all times.

"Regrettably, there are occasions when the actions of a minority of
our staff fall below the standard that we and the public expect of
them. This is clearly disappointing but I hope these figures reassure
people that the constabulary takes all alleged breaches very seriously
and will robustly investigate them to ensure that those responsible
are held to account and if necessary, that they leave the organisation
as a result of their actions."

Those who broke the data protection rules also included police staff,
PCSOs and special constables.

Of the 19 staff members, 11 left the force before misconduct
proceedings were completed; four members of staff received a final
written warning; two received "management action"; one officer was
dismissed by a disciplinary panel and a PC has a misconduct hearing
pending.

Allegations were made about a further 14 staff members but the cases
were dropped after the complaints were either withdrawn or because of
lack of evidence.

A case that is still being investigated by the force is the allegation
that a PC "improperly accessed police information systems for the
purpose of checking the complainant and members of their family".

Mark Pickard, chairman of Derbyshire Police Federation, said the force
took breaches in data protection "very seriously".

Mr Pickard said: "The force has not only dealt with employees strongly
but has tried to educate people as well.

"We put an article in the police federation magazine to try to express
to officers what they can and can't do."

'PC VISITED UP TO THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR SEX'

PC Jasbir Dhanda was convicted of having sex with a prostitute while
on duty, as well as searching for personal information about women on
the police database.

He was jailed for two-and-a-half years in January last year.

The investigation into Dhanda, who was based at Pear Tree police
station for 10 years, began in July 2010 after the woman with whom he
was convicted of having sex told another officer about it. Dhanda was
suspended a month later.

The woman said he would visit her for sex up to three times a week and
would give her cigarettes and alcohol when he visited.

She said that on one occasion he had picked her up in his police car,
bought her cigarettes and alcohol and drove to a country lane, where
they had sex.

Dhanda, who had denied any wrongdoing, was convicted of three charges
of misconduct in public office and three offences of misusing the
police database. He used the police Guardian Intelligence System to
find out information about the woman with whom he had sex and two
other women.
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