Police and confidential information
Discussion
I am intrigued if anyone would know any possible outcome or repercussion in the following scenario for the policeman and generally what you do. Have a wored with him and leave it at that, report him or just leave it.
My mother in law had mental health issues for a few months and committed suicide recently. The brother in law of my wife is a policeman and has viewed the file at the station and found out the details of the suicide down to where in the house, the implement used etc etc. This person has then told this to a lady friend and she has passed this "gossip" to another 3 girls. All these girls work with my sister in law and the final 3 in the chain have told her what they have been told.
The policeman has been in trouble for using information from the system before, something to do with finding out info on his ex and new partner and using it to his benefit.
I am livid as this is just another issue they are dealing with having buried their mother last week.
My mother in law had mental health issues for a few months and committed suicide recently. The brother in law of my wife is a policeman and has viewed the file at the station and found out the details of the suicide down to where in the house, the implement used etc etc. This person has then told this to a lady friend and she has passed this "gossip" to another 3 girls. All these girls work with my sister in law and the final 3 in the chain have told her what they have been told.
The policeman has been in trouble for using information from the system before, something to do with finding out info on his ex and new partner and using it to his benefit.
I am livid as this is just another issue they are dealing with having buried their mother last week.
Report him. Unless hes involved with the death he probably has no grounds to view the file let alone disclose what it contains.
He could well get the sack if hes been dealt with for similar matters before.
Clearly breached the code of ethics.
1. Honesty and integrity
I will be honest and act with integrity at all times,
and will not compromise or abuse my position.
7. Confidentiality
I will treat information with respect, and
access or disclose it only in the proper course
of my duties.
He could well get the sack if hes been dealt with for similar matters before.
Clearly breached the code of ethics.
1. Honesty and integrity
I will be honest and act with integrity at all times,
and will not compromise or abuse my position.
7. Confidentiality
I will treat information with respect, and
access or disclose it only in the proper course
of my duties.
So asking you what do you want to do ?
1. you report this, an investigation is completed he's found to have passed confidential information and he is disciplined for this. he loses his job and that has an effect on him and his family.
2. you report this an investigation is completed and it comes to light that the information did not come from him, he and his mates now have an ax to grind against you.
3. you decide to just move on, hard as it may be but maybe best just to get on from this and let the past be in the past, he didn't kill the person, person committed suicide and as much hurt has been caused by that maybe best just to let it go.
1. you report this, an investigation is completed he's found to have passed confidential information and he is disciplined for this. he loses his job and that has an effect on him and his family.
2. you report this an investigation is completed and it comes to light that the information did not come from him, he and his mates now have an ax to grind against you.
3. you decide to just move on, hard as it may be but maybe best just to get on from this and let the past be in the past, he didn't kill the person, person committed suicide and as much hurt has been caused by that maybe best just to let it go.
ruggedscotty said:
So asking you what do you want to do ?
1. you report this, an investigation is completed he's found to have passed confidential information and he is disciplined for this. he loses his job and that has an effect on him and his family.
2. you report this an investigation is completed and it comes to light that the information did not come from him, he and his mates now have an ax to grind against you.
3. you decide to just move on, hard as it may be but maybe best just to get on from this and let the past be in the past, he didn't kill the person, person committed suicide and as much hurt has been caused by that maybe best just to let it go.
1. Tough - he knows the rules1. you report this, an investigation is completed he's found to have passed confidential information and he is disciplined for this. he loses his job and that has an effect on him and his family.
2. you report this an investigation is completed and it comes to light that the information did not come from him, he and his mates now have an ax to grind against you.
3. you decide to just move on, hard as it may be but maybe best just to get on from this and let the past be in the past, he didn't kill the person, person committed suicide and as much hurt has been caused by that maybe best just to let it go.
2. Unlikely
3. Really?
Edited by Bigends on Friday 6th December 20:55
If you don’t want to go down the official complaint route.
Have you thought about maybe asking to speak to his superior. Tell the superior this is off the record/ you don’t want any official action taken but could you (the superior) have a word and ensure he understands the consequences of his actions and the implications if it had been reported officially.
A sort of unofficial telling off.
Just a thought.
Have you thought about maybe asking to speak to his superior. Tell the superior this is off the record/ you don’t want any official action taken but could you (the superior) have a word and ensure he understands the consequences of his actions and the implications if it had been reported officially.
A sort of unofficial telling off.
Just a thought.
ruggedscotty said:
1. you report this, an investigation is completed he's found to have passed confidential information and he is disciplined for this. he loses his job and that has an effect on him and his family.
2. you report this an investigation is completed and it comes to light that the information did not come from him, he and his mates now have an ax to grind against you.
3. you decide to just move on, hard as it may be but maybe best just to get on from this and let the past be in the past, he didn't kill the person, person committed suicide and as much hurt has been caused by that maybe best just to let it go.
No. Every officer has it drummed in to them that mis-handling data in this manner is potentially career-ending, and I believe these days more officers lose their jobs for this reason than anything else. 2. you report this an investigation is completed and it comes to light that the information did not come from him, he and his mates now have an ax to grind against you.
3. you decide to just move on, hard as it may be but maybe best just to get on from this and let the past be in the past, he didn't kill the person, person committed suicide and as much hurt has been caused by that maybe best just to let it go.
If he's accessed systems to find out this information (as opposed to being told this information by colleagues who have a legitimate reason to know), then he's made a massive error of judgement, and it's rightly a job loser, particularly if he's already been warned for a similar matter.
The police have a hard enough job keeping the public on side - officers showing a lack of judgement to this degree are not tolerated, and their colleagues won't want to be dragged down with them.
Dibble said:
I’d have no hesitation reporting him. He has been hugely unprofessional and insensitive. People like him make our jobs hard. We (the cops) would be better off without him.
In fact, the wider public would be better off without people like him in the cops. As above, it’s drummed into everyone who joins NOT to look at information unless it’s for a LEGITIMATE policing purpose. This is literally week one, day one, lesson one stuff.Looking at it and then “spreading” it magnifies the offence exponentially, IMHO.
I've just finished 22 weeks of training with the police. I've lost count the amount of times we've been told about data protection. When I log onto the computer there is warnings all over.
I've had three chats from Professional Standards during it. It's been drummed in that if it's not for a policing purpose we shouldn't be looking.
OP personally id report it.
I've had three chats from Professional Standards during it. It's been drummed in that if it's not for a policing purpose we shouldn't be looking.
OP personally id report it.
MB140 said:
If you don’t want to go down the official complaint route.
Have you thought about maybe asking to speak to his superior. Tell the superior this is off the record/ you don’t want any official action taken but could you (the superior) have a word and ensure he understands the consequences of his actions and the implications if it had been reported officially.
A sort of unofficial telling off.
Just a thought.
His supervisor would be very unlikely to deal with that. It would probably be sent to complaints and discipline and they'd check the audit on the system to see if he had looked at the record. Have you thought about maybe asking to speak to his superior. Tell the superior this is off the record/ you don’t want any official action taken but could you (the superior) have a word and ensure he understands the consequences of his actions and the implications if it had been reported officially.
A sort of unofficial telling off.
Just a thought.
Dibble said:
Dibble said:
I’d have no hesitation reporting him. He has been hugely unprofessional and insensitive. People like him make our jobs hard. We (the cops) would be better off without him.
In fact, the wider public would be better off without people like him in the cops. As above, it’s drummed into everyone who joins NOT to look at information unless it’s for a LEGITIMATE policing purpose. This is literally week one, day one, lesson one stuff.Looking at it and then “spreading” it magnifies the offence exponentially, IMHO.
Makes you wonder what else he looks at, hence why it needs reporting.
Possibly relevant but possibly not... He is your wife's brother in law... I'm assuming he isn't your brother, so is he estranged from your wife's sibling? If not then surely the domestic route would be best to keep some peace in the family. If they are estranged... sod him, report it.
Are you sure the information has come from a source that should be considered confidential?
Given the circumstances, her death will have been referred to the Coroner for an inquest to establish the facts. Coroners inquests, and their conclusions, are open to the public.
While gossiping 'public' information isn't usually viewed as a favourable characteristic, it's a big step away from an intentional breach of professional confidentiality.
Near the end of the page:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coroners-post...
Given the circumstances, her death will have been referred to the Coroner for an inquest to establish the facts. Coroners inquests, and their conclusions, are open to the public.
While gossiping 'public' information isn't usually viewed as a favourable characteristic, it's a big step away from an intentional breach of professional confidentiality.
Near the end of the page:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coroners-post...
Xerstead said:
Are you sure the information has come from a source that should be considered confidential?
Given the circumstances, her death will have been referred to the Coroner for an inquest to establish the facts. Coroners inquests, and their conclusions, are open to the public.
While gossiping 'public' information isn't usually viewed as a favourable characteristic, it's a big step away from an intentional breach of professional confidentiality.
Near the end of the page:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coroners-post...
The easy way to find out would be to report it, which would lead to his use of systems being audited. All our systems have audit trails and keyloggers on. I’m not sure exactly how long the audits are retained for, but it’s definitely several years. I know of colleagues/former colleagues who have been charged with both criminal and discipline offences, some going back a long time, from accessing stuff they shouldn’t have.Given the circumstances, her death will have been referred to the Coroner for an inquest to establish the facts. Coroners inquests, and their conclusions, are open to the public.
While gossiping 'public' information isn't usually viewed as a favourable characteristic, it's a big step away from an intentional breach of professional confidentiality.
Near the end of the page:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coroners-post...
It’s not just sharing the information that’s the issue, it’s looking at it in the first place. As I said above, unless you have a legitimate policing purpose for accessing the data, you can’t even look at it.
donkmeister said:
Possibly relevant but possibly not... He is your wife's brother in law... I'm assuming he isn't your brother, so is he estranged from your wife's sibling? If not then surely the domestic route would be best to keep some peace in the family. If they are estranged... sod him, report it.
Have a chat with your wife. As above, if she is not estranged from her sibling and the rest of the family then she may wish to keep it within the family to deal with. If she is all for it, and understands the repercussions of reporting will do then it's on you guys. I appreciate that the officer in question has done wrong and is bringing down the profession. I would report it but you dont have to report HIM
Just contact the Police and say you are concerned only info the Polcie would know* has been released and they can look at it themselves and work it out
Just contact the Police and say you are concerned only info the Polcie would know* has been released and they can look at it themselves and work it out
- assuming of course a family member or some other source such as coroner did not release it
My first instinct is to say you should report it, but that's really a bit selfish. Most officers, current and past, want a clean force and you can help them in that if the allegation is correct. If it's true there's little chance of a defence, and that's regardless whether a bit/some/a lot was released to the public. If he's sourced it via confidential records, then he's in the frame.
However,
However,
BobSaunders said:
Have a chat with your wife. As above, if she is not estranged from her sibling and the rest of the family then she may wish to keep it within the family to deal with. If she is all for it, and understands the repercussions of reporting will do then it's on you guys. I appreciate that the officer in question has done wrong and is bringing down the profession.
It's a point that I would consider. Chatting it over with the missus is generally a great idea.Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff