A former Thames Valley Police (TVP) call handler has been jailed after admitting to sharing police information with organisation crime groups.
Following an Independent Office for Police Conduct directed investigation, Catherine Arrol, 29, pleaded guilty in May to three offences relating to participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group and four charges of misconduct in public office.
She was sentenced to 34 months imprisonment at Reading Crown Court on Monday (September 9).
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The court heard that Arrol was working from home, where she lived with her parents and brother, during the coronavirus pandemic when the incidents happened.
Arrol, of Silver Close, Maidenhead, had input non-emergency queries into the police system and managed the queries while her brother John Arrol, 38, of Manor Lane, Sunbury, accessed the police system to 'look up information that was then shared with organised criminal groups'.
The court heard there was also an alleged EncroChat found on a phone in Arrol's room which shows information being shared 'across the criminal network'.
Officers from TVP’s Counter Corruption Unit carried out the investigation after an internal audit raised concerns of potential unauthorised access to police systems.
The investigation, which followed a mandatory referral from TVP in May 2020, looked at whether she had accessed police computer systems and classified material with no policing purpose, and whether that information was shared with another party.
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On conclusion of the investigation in July 2022, it was decided a file of evidence should be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised charges.
As a result of the investigation, Arrol’s brother, who does not work for TVP, was also charged with three counts of participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group.
He admitted the charges and was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment.
During the investigation, drugs were found in Arrol’s bedroom and, as a result, a TVP misconduct hearing took place where it was determined she would have been dismissed with immediate effect had she not already resigned in October 2020, prior to the hearing.
IOPC director Steve Noonan said: “All police officers and staff are in a position of trust where they have access to confidential and sensitive information on police systems.
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“They know that any searches of police records must be for legitimate purposes and the information should never be passed on to a third party.
“Catherine Arrol’s behaviour fell well below what is expected of any member of a police force and was a serious breach of the trust placed in the police by the public.
“This investigation ensured that Ms Arrol and her brother were held accountable for their actions and they have both received prison sentences.”
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