Police detective in court over alleged data protection breach

A senior Merseyside police officer is in court facing allegations of accessing confidential data in breach of section 55 of the Data Protection Act (DPA), according to The Liverpool Echo.

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Lawlor worked at the headquarters of the Intelligence and Security Bureau, and was arrested and suspended from his role in June pending an investigation.

His case is now being heard in a local magistrates' court where he faces six counts of illegally accessing personal data, which carries a maximum penalty of £5,000.

Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, which revealed earlier this year that over 900 police officers had been reprimanded for breaching the DPA, said that the case underlines the need to enhance data protection laws.

"While there is the potential for an unlimited fine for breaching the DPA [if the case is heard in a crown court], there is no possibility of a custodial sentence," he said.

"This case once again highlights a clear need for such a punishment to be available to the courts. It also demonstrates how such incidents are not confined to low level staff, but those working at a highly sensitive level."

The ICO has frequently called for jail time to be an option for magistrates when sentencing those found guilty of breaching section 55 of the DPA, after two notable cases resulted only in small fines.

MPs on the Justice Select Committee have also urged the government to address what they see as an oversight in the law.