A witness had to move house after police released details that led suspected criminals to learn of their address.
Thames Valley Police has now been rapped by the Information Commissioner’s Office for breaching data protection law.
The force did not have appropriate training in place to make sure its officers were aware of guidance around disclosure of evidence and redaction of details.
Head of investigations for the ICO, Natasha Longson, said: “Sensitive personal information relating to crimes needs to be handled with great care. This case shows the impact on vulnerable people if that’s not done.
“Our enforcement action in this case should act as a warning to other organisations that they must take sensible steps to protect people’s personal details.”
The ICO said details were released by the police force that led 'suspected criminals' to learn the address of a witness.
The witness moved house as a result. The impact upon them and the risk they face 'remains high', it was said.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said the ICO’s reprimand was ‘fully accepted’ by the force.
“Our officers and staff are trained on redacting material but there was some particular contextual information that was missed in this case, for which we apologise unreservedly to the person involved,” he added.
“We take our responsibility to safeguard the public’s data extremely seriously and have taken action based on the recommendations made, particularly in regard to training and awareness of policies and guidance.”
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