West Midlands Police staff sacked for data breaches

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-26604072

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Thirty staff at West Midlands Police have been investigated for a string of data protection breaches since 2009, new figures have revealed.

Seven of those were dismissed without notice or resigned following the accusations, the force said.

A further five were given final written warnings, while nine received management advice.

It follows news last month of 2,000 data protection breaches at forces in England and Wales from 2009-13.

Last week, former Thames Valley PC Sugra Hanif was jailed for three and a half years for selling information from almost 2,500 cases.

A freedom of information request has revealed breaches by staff, including detectives, at West Midlands Police over the last five years. They include misuse of the police database and accessing confidential information.

A victim support spokesman said it was "very worrying" that personal data of victims of crime might be being accessed and used inappropriately by people in a position of trust.

Ch Insp Deb Doyle, from the force's professional standards department, said allegations against members of staff were taken very seriously and thoroughly investigated.

"We expect the highest standards from all staff and where behaviour does not meet these expectations the appropriate action is taken, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Independent Police Complaints Commission where necessary," she said.