Peterborough PC sacked after using police computer to search for information relating to family members

PC Lorna Thorley, who was based in Peterborough, used the police database for personal reasons on a number of occasions to find information on a ‘number of individuals.’

Now she has been dismissed without notice.

Following a misconduct hearing, Chief Constable Nick Dean said: “The police service and the public expect that all its officers and staff to act in manner that does not bring discredit to the service or harm its reputation. The public expect that these standards are upheld. The conduct that PC Thorley has displayed falls way short of these standards.

“I have considered this case in full and find that PC Thorley’s conduct amounts to gross misconduct.”

Mr Dean added: “This case centres on the misuse of computer systems and the access to personal data for a nonpolicing purpose. Turning first to the area of culpability. As the case has outlined this has not been a ‘one- off’ incident which could have been seen as a lapse of judgement. Unauthorised access was over a sustained number of years, access which PC Thorley knew was seriously wrong.

“It cannot be clearer within the policing environment that to access data for non-policing purposes is wrong, whatever the apparent motivation for doing so. “The data itself contained personal information of a sensitive nature relating to a number of individuals, the fact that these individuals were family members matters not.

“Continual breaches of personal privacy were conducted. I have considered the submission that PC Thorley conducted the checks for ‘safeguarding reasons’, however I am not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the information obtained was acted upon in this regard. PC Thorley has a service record that outlines her work within a specialist area, dealing and building confidence with vulnerable victims. Each breach was not a spontaneous act, with her background and experience it should have been at the forefront of her mind that to access this information was in breach of standards expected.”