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An Auckland police officer has been found to have made almost 3,000 unauthorised checks of the Police database while off duty, following an internal investigation into serious privacy breaches.
In a statement yesterday, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) confirmed it had overseen the police investigation, which began after a complaint that the officer had accessed a person’s records and shared private details with members of a third-party agency the complainant belonged to.
Today, November 6, Superintendent Naila Hassan, Waitematā District Commander told the Franklin Times, police acknowledge the IPCA’s summary report into the allegations.
“In July 2022, an investigation was conducted into the claims and police found that the officer had accessed the complainant’s information,” Hassan said.
“It also found the officer had checked other people from the same agency and had passed some of that information on to the agency’s staff.
“During the course of the investigation police found the officer had made an excessive number of checks, totalling around 2,954, in the police system.
“The checks were conducted while the officer was off-duty and they had accessed information relating to themselves, a family member, and other members of police.
“The investigation found there was no work-related purpose for these checks to be carried out, and that they were unjustified.
“The investigation also found there was an on-going conflict of interest over a period of time which was not disclosed by the officer to their supervisor.
“Police found the threshold for criminal prosecution was not met; however they determined the officer had breached Police policy, values and the Code of Conduct.
“A confidential employment investigation was completed, during which the officer resigned from Police.
“Police have notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in relation to the breaches of privacy.”
The IPCA said it was satisfied with the police investigation and agreed with the outcome.
