Error Investigation 28
Error by:
Public Authority
Human or
Technical:
Human
Cause:
The wilful and unauthorised acquisition and disclosure of
communications data.
Data Acquired:
Incoming call data and consequential subscriber information
relating to a residential landline telephone number.
Description:
A police force investigated a domestic violence abuser, who
was consequently convicted at Crown Court of assaulting his
estranged wife. The prosecution case was, in part, dependent
upon the acquisition of communications data to evidence
harassing calls received by the victim. The investigator sought
to attribute calls to the defendant and, to do so, an application
was submitted to identify incoming calls to what was believed
to be the victim’s landline home telephone.
The investigator reviewed the resultant data and identified that
the victim had provided the wrong number. The investigator
provided the SPoC accredited officer with the correct number
which they processed through the CSP portal, without the
authority of a designated person. They secured 6 months of
unauthorised incoming call data. The SPoC officer identified
a mobile number from this data, on which he requested
subscriber information. Again, this was done without the
necessary authority of a designated person.
The SPoC officer’s actions were identified by colleagues who
brought the matter to the attention of their senior manager
and IOCCO. The SPoC officer is being investigated by the
Professional Standards Department and further breaches,
attributable to the same SPoC officer, have been raised with
IOCCO.
Consequence:
The prosecution in the case of domestic abuse was, in
part, dependent upon the acquisition of the unauthorised
communications data. The Crown Prosecution Service and
defence team were informed, by the senior responsible officer,
of the unauthorised access to data.
Investigations of other breaches resulting from
acquisitions by the same SPoC officer are ongoing.
wilful