HC Deb 13 July 1994 vol 246 cc657-8W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Attorney-General how many police offices have been prosecuted for misusing personal information from police computers in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle

I have been asked to reply.

The information held centrally on prosecutions under the Data Protection Act 1984 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990 does not include the profession of the defendant. But I understand that the Association of Chief Police Officers is aware of two cases during 1993 of police officers being prosecuted for offences arising from the misuse of computer-held information.