The failed criminal prosecution of England footballer Steven Gerrard provoked so much interest among police officers that 130 of them breached data protection laws to view his file, it has emerged.
Statistics disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that in 2008 there were 42 breaches of data protection laws by officers at Merseyside Police.
The following year – including the period in which Gerrard was prosecuted over an alleged affray in a nightclub – there were 152 breaches.
Merseyside Police said the rise was a result of officers and staff accessing confidential documents about Steven Gerrard’s arrest.
The Liverpool and England midfielder was subsequently cleared of unjustly attacking Marcus McGee during an altercation in the Lounge Inn, Southport, on December 29, 2008. The footballer had denied affray, saying he hit Mr. McGee in self-defence.
Although most of the breaches can be attributed to interest in Gerrard, officers were also accessing files to check classified data about relatives, friends and acquaintances who had provoked their suspicions.
Senior officers described the worst cases as “a serious abuse of force systems”.
Merseyside Police regarded the illegal accessing of information as so serious that an undisclosed number of officers were forced to resign.
In total, seven officers have been forced to leave the force over the past three years, with three others given final written warnings.
A total of 169 officers were required to receive “managerial advice” about their behaviour, while 29 were given written warnings.
Despite their censure, they refused to elaborate on the breaches after claiming that to do so might identify individuals.
Similar breaches occur in police forces across Britain.
In the neighbouring Lancashire force, for example, there were 84 breaches in three years.
These included an officer who ran checks on his daughter’s new boyfriend so he could warn her that the man had a criminal record for sex offences.
Officers who accessed the file of the Liverpool captain were able to see his date of birth, his address, details of the allegations against him, and the photograph taken on the day he was arrested,
The investigation against them was carried out following an audit by Merseyside’s professional standards directorates.
A force spokesman said it would “not tolerate” breaches of the Data Protection act.
She added: “Merseyside Police takes its responsibilities to manage and process personal information extremely seriously, and expects employees to maintain the highest standard of professional behaviour when dealing with information security.
“Any inappropriate behaviour may result in criminal and/or disciplinary proceedings and all cases are investigated thoroughly by the Professional Standards Department.”
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