Former Northamptonshire PC faces gross misconduct rap over using police computer to check on new friend

A former police officer faces a disciplinary hearing later this month after being accused of using a confidential database without authority to access sensitive personal information relating to a crime reported by a person with who he was in a relationship.

Former PC Michael Clark is alleged to have tapped into force computers to find information on a person he had commenced a relationship with.

The hearing, to be held on Thursday (April 28) at Police HQ at Wootton Hall Park, will be told the officer also breached standards of professional behaviour in respect of work times after going home early without booking off.

The particulars of the misconduct states PC Clark had “commenced a relationship with ‘KE’”.

It adds: “On November 3, 2020 you were on duty when you conducted a detailed find using the date of birth and partial surname of KE.

"You accessed the nominal of KE and reviewed information contained on KE’s nominal record. You then accessed an occurrence relating to an offence where KE was listed as the aggrieved.

"This would have provided you with information describing the occurrence and what was recorded. This also provided you with information relating to the other people involved in the occurrence.”

Northamptonshire Police policy expressly prohibits accessing information on confidential systems relating to friends, family members, acquaintances, neighbours or celebrities.

A second allegation claims that on various dates between September 1 and December 11, 2021, PC Clark logged out of his computer and finished work before the end of his rostered period of duty, but did not book off.

The particulars state: “The failure to book off created the inaccurate record that you had continued working until your end of duty time.

“The failure to book off on days when you finished work early maintained a false impression that you retained a balance of time off in lieu. Had you booked off when you finished work, your time off in lieu balance would have been depleted.

"The failure to book off enabled you to continue to request and/or take time off attributing it to a time off in lieu balance which had been artificially maintained and/or to which you were not entitled.”

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