PC Shannon Parsons, a 13-year officer with an otherwise unblemished career, was sacked for gross misconduct at a force disciplinary hearing. The panel heard that many of the searches related to incidents near her home address, and that some involved sensitive information about the most serious crimes.
Parsons disputed the finding, claiming there was a policing purpose to her searches. She said she was seeking to "keep herself up to date, informed and was often in a position to support and assist other colleagues in operational matters."
Debra Tedds, chair of the misconduct panel, concluded the access was deliberate and intentional, and was carried out for the officer's own personal benefit.
"I do not believe the officer's conduct was targeted, however I do believe that it was deliberate and intentional and by her own admission had become a habit in between shifts," Tedds said.
"Accessing confidential police information without a legitimate policing purpose is an abuse of an officer's position."
The panel acknowledged Parsons' difficult personal and medical circumstances, including working part-time, returning from maternity leave and working from home, and accepted she had felt isolated and disconnected from policing. However, it found she showed no insight or remorse about the potential harm caused by the volume of information accessed over a significant period.
There was no evidence that any of the information was passed to a third party, the panel said. Tedds concluded the conduct amounted to a significant breach of trust, likely to cause a loss of public confidence in the profession.