David Davis comments across the papers on police who leaked confidential information 300 times

As published in the Daily Mirror:
The Lying Squad;
Cops tipping off drug dealers, PCs making racist and sexist remarks … just the latest scandal to hit the Met Police

Police who leaked confidential information 300 times helped criminals and made racist and sexist comments on the internet, figures reveal.

Metropolitan Police officers also harassed colleagues, bragged about their law breaking and lied to managers to cover up Data Protection breaches.

Cases include an officer accused of leaking intelligence “of a significant level to a prominent criminal with links to firearms”, the Met said.

Another passed confidential information about drugs. In both cases, the employee was arrested and no longer works for the force.

And formal action was taken against a special constable for making the comment “damn n******” on a Facebook photo of two men fighting.

An officer was also reprimanded for making sexual comments about children on a website, another sent a spoof image of a caravan adorned with Nazi references to an external address.

The 300 Data Protection breaches in five years are the latest embarrassment to the Met, following the “Plebgate scandal” and revelations the force spied the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.
Tory MP David Davis said the breaches, released following a Freedom of Information request by a news agency, undermined public trust in the police.

He said: “The extent to which police officers have used confidential police information for criminal ends, and abused individuals’ private information for their personal benefit, is astonishing.”
The 300 breaches between January 2009 and October 2013 cover rank-andon file officers, senior investigators and civilian staff. Some 208 resulted in formal action, such court action.

The rest ended in warnings, retirement or resignation. In two cases no further action was taken.
A Met spokesman said it treats any allegation about the conduct of its staff “extremely seriously”. Asked about the public’s perception of the evidence of racism, he said the Commissioner “will not tolerate racism” and recognises the Met needs to “continuously improve”.

As published in the Daily Mail:
MET shame as officers leak data from force computer to criminals

Three hundred Metropolitan Police officers and staff have been caught misusing the force’s computers including some who were passing information to criminals.

Officers were found leaking intelligence to a gangster linked to firearms, passing on information about drugs, and obtaining computer data to assist in criminality’.

There were also cases in which an officer made inappropriate sexual comments about children’ on a website, searched for pornography on Met networks, or signed up to a sex website on their office computer.

The scale of the corrupt or self-serving use of Met computers over nearly five years provoked criticism.

Former Tory leadership contender David Davis said: The extent to which police officers have used confidential police information for criminal ends, and abused individuals’ private information for their personal benefit, is astonishing.

This directly impacts on the level of trust between the police and the public.’

The disclosure of the way officers have frequently abused police information to help criminals or themselves follows the report by Mark Ellison QC into the handling of the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry, which found compelling evidence of police cover-up and corruption. The Daily Mail has highlighted concerns over corruption connected to the Lawrence case and others, and the way evidence of criminal behaviour within the Met appears to have been destroyed.

The Press Association news agency, which collated incidents of computer misuse in the Met, found 300 that were classed as breaches of the Data Protection Act between January 2009 and October last year.
Of the 300 cases, 208 led to formal action being taken – including criminal prosecutions or disciplinary action. The number of them that led to prosecutions is unknown. The remaining 92 cases resulted in outcomes including retirement or resignation, written warnings, management action (a less serious sanction) and, in two cases, no further action.

Around one in five of the total led to the sacking or retirement of an officer.

Among the most serious cases was one in which criminals – thought to have been violent or sexual offenders – used an officer to provide data to assist in criminality’.

Another officer provided information of a significant level to a prominent criminal with links to firearms’. The Met took action against a detective chief inspector who committed offences contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act’, it said. In another case, a candidate for a police driving exam was sent the answers by a colleague.

A Met spokesman said: We recognise that protecting the sensitive data we hold is critical to public confidence and our ability to fight crime effectively.

The Metropolitan Police Service treats any allegation about the conduct of its staff extremely seriously and will always take steps to determine whether the conduct of that member of staff has breached the required standards of professional behaviour.’

REVEALED, HOW THEY BROKE THE LAW
Criminals used officer to obtain data from police. Officer retired or resigned.
Officer leaked information and amended entries about the owners of cars stolen by gangs. Retired or resigned.
Staff member arrested for leaking intelligence regarding drugs. Resigned.
Detective chief inspector committed offences contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act. Formal disciplinary action.
Community support officer emailed and intimidated witnesses before misconduct hearing after getting addresses from computer. Retired or resigned.
Officer joined the Facebook of Sex website and posted photos of himself, some in uniform and some sexual. Formal action.
Officer made inappropriate sexual comments about children on a website. Formal action.
Officer showed an indecent photograph to a female colleague and made sexual suggestions to her. Formal action.
Officer made racist comment on Facebook. Formal action.
Officer sent a spoof image of a caravan adorned with Nazi references. Formal action.
Officer wrote on Facebook that she had topped 112mph’ on her motorbike. Management action.

Daily Star:
Crooked Cops; They ‘watch web filth & sell secrets’

Bent police officers have been caught helping criminals, watching web porn and selling secrets for cash.

Some of the 300 nabbed at the London Metropolitan, Britain’s biggest force, even bragged about their crimes and lied to bosses to cover up breaching Data Protection rules.

Tory MP and former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the breaches shattered trust in the police.

Trust

He said: “The extent to which officers have used confidential police information for criminal ends and abused individuals’ private information for their personal benefit is astonishing.”

Around a fifth of cases – which also included making sexist or racist comments – ended in the sack or retirement, while two-thirds led to other punishments.

Emma Carr, of civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, said: “It shouldn’t be one rule for police and one for the rest.”

A Met spokesman said: “We recognise that protecting the sensitive data we hold is critical to public confidence and our ability to fight crime effectively.

“We treat any allegations about staff extremely seriously and always take steps to determine whether it breached required standards of behaviour.”

As published in The Independent:
Met officers passed vital police data to criminals;
Hundreds of data protection breaches are finally revealed by Scotland Yard

Three members of the Metropolitan Police quit the force in a single year after passing information to underworld figures including a prominent criminal with links to guns, it can be disclosed.

The cases were among 300 breaches of data protection rules in nearly five years at Britain’s biggest police force. The offences included passing details of drugs intelligence and tampering with computer records in an apparent attempt to cover up a car theft ring, the details showed.

The force said some of the breaches led to prosecutions but were unable to give further details yesterday.

The scale of the wrongdoing by officers has only come to light after a freedom of information request by the Press Association, raising fresh questions about the transparency of the force.
The three cases involving information being passed to criminals, which all occurred in 2009, involved:
* criminals using a police officer to obtain data to help their offending;
* the changing and leaking of information about the ownership of cars stolen by criminal gangs;
* leaking of intelligence of a “significant level to a prominent criminal with links to firearms”.
Last night MPs warned that the breaches undermined trust in the police following continuing scandals over cover-ups and corruption.

“The public must be able to trust the police. Leaking confidential data is wrong and will undermine that trust,” said the shadow Police minister Jack Dromey.

The links to organised crime were among the most serious of the breaches, which also included proven cases of racism, searches for pornography from office computers and checks on a cab driver by an officer who had refused to pay him the night before, according to the records.

Another officer breached data laws after disclosing on Facebook that he had lost a bag containing police paper and equipment.

The breaches covered rank-and-file officers, senior investigators and civilian staff at the Met. The most senior ranking officer was a detective chief constable who committed offences contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act in 2011, according to the data.

The officer was not named but Det Ch Insp April Casburn was sentenced to 15 months in prison last year for misconduct in public office for trying to sell information about the phone-hacking inquiry to the News of the World. The force could not confirm if the corruption case related to Ms Casburn.

A special constable received “formal action” for making the comment “damn niggers” on a Facebook photo of two men fighting, while one officer received management action for sending a picture of armed police outside the Commons, captioned with the words “Merry Christmas… Keep calm and fuck off.”

The former shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: “The extent to which police officers have used confidential police information for criminal ends, and abused individuals’ private information for their personal benefit, is astonishing. The Met needs to review, as a matter of urgency, the security control for confidential information the police hold on the public.”

Virtually all police disciplinary hearings are closed to the public but Scotland Yard began putting the outcome of misconduct hearings on its website from May last year without naming officers.

A spokesman for the force said: “The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) treats any allegation about the conduct of its staff extremely seriously and will always take steps to determine whether the conduct of that member of staff has breached the required standards of professional behaviour.

“The number of employees that are disciplined for the misuse of police information each year, accordingly, represents a very small percentage (just over 0.1 per cent) of those employed by the MPS.”

Police Corruption
MET Data Breaches
* A member of police staff retired or resigned in 2011 after being “arrested for leaking intelligence regarding drugs”.
* A police constable faced “formal action” for using “internal email for dating purposes”.
* A special constable in 2012 “blatantly told a number of calculated lies to her line manager in order to cover up her misuse of computer system”.
* A member of staff used a “police terminal to download pirate movies from an illegal website and watched them during work time”.
* A police officer sent “a spoof image of a caravan adorned with various Nazi references to an external address”.

As published in the Metro:
300 officers disciplined for misusing police computers

Hundreds of police officers at the nation’s largest force have been caught misusing its computers to help criminals, post racist comments and look at pornography.

They included one member of staff who was arrested after handing over a ‘significant’ amount of intelligence to a criminal kingpin with links to firearms, while another leaked confidential information on drug dealing. A special constable was disciplined for writing ‘damn n*****s’ on Facebook beneath a picture of two men fighting, while a colleague was reprimanded for posting explicit photos of himself on the Facebook Of Sex site.

They are among 300 cases where Metropolitan Police staff have been disciplined for breaching data protection laws over the past five years. Nearly two-thirds of cases, revealed following a Freedom Of Information request, resulted in formal action such as a final warning, dismissal or prosecution. The remaining 92 staff escaped either with an ‘informal’ written warning from management or by quitting the force altogether.

One of those caught was a police community support officer who resigned after using a computer system to research her boyfriend’s past.

A handful of officers were reprimanded for handing over information to journalists in exchange for cash.

Tory MP and former shadow home secretary David Davis called the revelations astonishing. He added: ‘The Met needs to review, as a matter of urgency, the security control for confidential information that the police hold on members of the public.’ A Met spokesman said any allegation about the conduct of its staff was treated ‘extremely seriously’.

As published in the Belfast Telegraph:
300 data protection breaches at Met
Police officers with the country’s largest force have been caught assisting criminals, selling confidential details for cash and making racist and sexist comments on the internet, a Press Association investigation has found.

Others within the Metropolitan Police harassed colleagues, bragged about their law breaking and lied to managers in an effort to cover up breaches of Data Protection rules.

The results of the investigation, which show 300 police breaches during nearly five years, have prompted calls for the Met to carry out an urgent review of its security procedures, while civil liberties campaigners want changes to legislation allowing greater penalties for those who break rules.

A force spokesman said it demands all employees “act with professionalism and integrity whether on or off-duty”, and comply with rules.

The Data Protection breaches are the latest embarrassment to the Met, after investigations by national newspapers discovered corruption within the force, while a damning report by barrister Mark Ellison QC found that an undercover officer was a “spy” within the “family camp” of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence.

Former shadow home secretary David Davis said the breaches undermined public trust in the police.

The Tory MP for Haltemprice and Howden said: “The extent to which police officers have used confidential police information for criminal ends, and abused individuals’ private information for their personal benefit, is astonishing.

“This directly impacts on the level of trust between the police and the public.

“The public are much more shocked when it is vulnerable, ordinary people who are victimised rather than powerful celebrities. These revelations are the sort of thing that will deeply concern the man on the street.

“The Met needs to review, as a matter of urgency, the security control for confidential information that the police hold on members of the public.”

The breaches cover rank-and-file officers, senior investigators and civilian staff at the Met, which employs around 31,000 officers,13,000 police staff and 2,600 Police Community Support Officers (PCSO).

Around one-fifth of cases ended in a sacking or retirement, while two-thirds resulted in formal action.

Breaches between January 2009 and October 2013 range from minor rule-breaks on social media to serious allegations of misconduct leading to arrests.

According to the Met, criminals used an officer to “obtain data from police indices to assist in criminality”. The criminals had been subject to public protection arrangements usually reserved for sexual or violent offenders.

Another officer was arrested for leaking intelligence “of a significant level to a prominent criminal with links to firearms”, the Met said.

A further officer was discovered to be passing on confidential information regarding drugs. In both cases, the employee was arrested and is no longer working for the force.

A detective chief inspector received formal action after committing “offences contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act”, the force said.

In a handful of cases, journalists were secretly supplied with information by police – sometimes in exchange for cash, the Met confirmed.

There were also occasions when employees were censured for posting offensive material on Facebook and for behaving inappropriately at work.

A police officer was reprimanded for making inappropriate sexual comments about children on a website, while another sent a spoof image of a caravan adorned with Nazi references to an external address.

A special constable received formal action for making the comment “damn n*****s” on a Facebook photo of two men fighting, while one officer received management action for sending a picture of armed police outside the Commons, captioned with the words “Merry Christmas… Keep calm and f**k off.”

Another officer breached data laws after disclosing on Facebook that he had lost a bag containing police paper and equipment, while one employee joined the Facebook of Sex website and posted photos of himself.

An officer also used their internal email for dating purposes, some searched for pornography, while a PCSO used the police computer to check up on her boyfriend.

Another “s earched details of a cab driver he had refused to pay a few nights before”.

Of the 300 cases investigated and substantiated, 208 were subject to formal action being taken – including criminal prosecutions where appropriate.

The remaining 92 cases resulted in a variety of outcomes including written warnings, management action, retirement or resignation (allowed by police regulations) and two cases of no further action.

Emma Carr, deputy director of civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, said police needed to be more transparent in coming clean about staff data breaches.

She said: ” It shouldn’t take journalists or campaign groups to ask for that information because it looks like they are hiding something.

“It’s also important that police do their utmost to ensure people are disciplined when malicious data sharing has taken place, and for them to ensure that if criminality has occurred they feel the full force of the law – it shouldn’t be one rule for police and one for the rest of us.”

She added: “I think we have seen so many stories recently of potential corruption taking place within the police, with malicious practice or people not really sticking to the law that we’re supposed to keep as the general public.

“When you then have other tensions taking place within communities, that’s clearly going to add to mistrust between police forces and the public when you really need them to work together.

“That’s why its important the heads of the police force are seen to be doing something to ensure they are running a clean unit.”

A Met spokesman said: “We recognise that protecting the sensitive data we hold is critical to public confidence and our ability to fight crime effectively.

“The MPS treats any allegation about the conduct of its staff extremely seriously and will always take steps to determine whether the conduct of that member of staff has breached the required standards of professional behaviour.”

Asked how public confidence would be affected by evidence of racism, the spokesman added: “The Commissioner has stated he will not tolerate racism and recognises that the Met needs to continuously improve. All staff are aware that racism will not be tolerated and this is made clear when they join and throughout their careers.”