News item | 15-01-2025 | 09:17
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is demanding 140 hours of community service against a man who worked for the Central Netherlands police unit. The former officer is suspected of computer intrusion and violation of official secrecy. He is said to have requested information from police systems between 2017 and 2022, which then fell into the hands of criminals.
The case came to light when an informant warned that a ‘police contact’ would pass on sensitive information. This information turned out to have been looked up using the suspect’s account. This was suspicious because the officer had not recorded these actions and because the system was consulted largely in his spare time.
Suspicious search history
As the investigation progressed, more police documents emerged that were in the hands of a criminal, all printed out with the suspect’s account. On this basis, the suspect was arrested on August 30, 2022 and several searches were conducted.
The officer’s search history in the police system was then examined. This shows that dozens of searches have been made on names, addresses and license plates that cannot be linked to his work as a police officer. For example, the suspect viewed information about himself, his street and family members. Chat conversations have been found showing that the suspect passed on information from police systems at the request of family and acquaintances.
Big risks
The suspect also provided criminal contacts of the officer with sensitive information. This entails major risks. “These are inquiries the results of which can potentially be used to damage police investigations,” the public prosecutor explains. “It can also endanger police officers.”
In the view of the Public Prosecution Service, the officer passed on information so that he would also receive information back. “This seems to be a structural method of the suspect,” says the public prosecutor. The Public Prosecution Service takes the suspect very seriously for this. “Citizens must be able to trust that police employees will handle their personal data respectfully.”
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect abused his position as an officer and thus seriously damaged the integrity of the police. Although the police themselves should have done more to stop the suspect, the public prosecutor says. “The police also made use of the suspect’s information position, without critically asking how the suspect obtained this information. The police have also learned a lesson from this.”
Community service
When determining the sentence, the seriousness of the offenses was taken into account. A factor in this is that the suspect made the mistake again after several warnings from his employer and a conversation with the public prosecutor (OM hearing). The personal circumstances of the suspect were also examined. For example, the dismissal and its consequences for the suspect have been taken into account.
Taking everything into account, the Public Prosecution Service demands an unconditional community service of 140 hours. The court will make its ruling in two weeks.
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