UK Cops Penalized for Computer and Information Misuse

In a recent press release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, several incidents and statistics were revealed where police officers and staff members intentionally misused IT resources for their personal entertainment or even cyber-bullying. The news, made public by DarkReading, has the total number of cases at around 400.

After various mishaps and foul-ups, the personnel was either disciplined or, in more severe cases, dismissed from the British Police service. There is even a related incident where two civilian Police members and a staff worker (constable), were forced to leave the force and even put under charges after using the Police information system to obtain data and knowledge to non-work related cases and without any “legitimate policing purpose.”

There is nevertheless a good side to these events. While worrying as they are, these stats are not that bad when judged and viewed in the general picture. With about 239,000 employees, the British Police reports these 400 cases as solved or currently under investigation. Also, the 400 cases aren't only from the past year, but from a five-year span that reduces the total number to only 80 per year.

Judging by the fact that the information system used by the Police is accessed thousands of times every day, the number diminishes even more. In total, from those cases, many were for misuse of IT resources, mainly in accessing websites non-work related. These infractions are considered minor and penalized only with written warnings.

A spokesperson for the West Yorkshire Police said, "Usage of the Internet is regularly audited. Different access levels are allocated to staff members in accordance with role requirements. This is closely policed and is authorized by a senior member of staff.” He added that "Any breach of the policy is investigated and appropriate sanctions are given."

A study from 3ami, a company that provides monitoring software, has shown that 96% of Police officers believe that abuse and/or misuse of Police IT resources occur frequently, so there is still real concern that not all of the infractions are actually discovered.