The Public Prosecution Service has imposed 80 hours of community service on a 24-year-old police officer from The Hague. Over eleven months, he frequently searched for information without a valid work-related reason.
The case came to light due to an automatic alert from the system that the employee had made a large number of queries at unusual times, such as at night, outside working hours, or during leave. Further investigation revealed that from October 2023 to September 2024, the man made queries in the police system that could not be directly linked to his work.
The officer stated that as an inexperienced policeman he felt insecure and wanted to practice. He wanted to develop himself. He admitted that this was wrong.
The Public Prosecution Service takes such unlawful queries very seriously. Police systems contain privacy-sensitive information about citizens. Therefore, officers are not allowed to consult these systems for personal interest, involvement, or curiosity. Furthermore, it must be prevented that police information is leaked to criminals or other interested parties. For these reasons, it is important that police systems are only consulted as far as necessary for the execution of police duties.
During a Public Prosecution Service hearing, the public prosecutor imposed 80 hours of community service. The suspect accepted this.
