Hundreds of police staff, including high-ranking officers, have been censured for breaching data protection laws – from snooping on their children and ex-wives, to social media gaffes.
And in one case, a Pc got into hot water after wrongly telling family members that a loved one had died.
Others breached data protection regulations to access confidential and personal information, spreading rumours in the communities they were policing.
More than 100 staff were sacked and nearly 200 resigned as a result of breaches in England and Wales during a five-year period, according to figures obtained by the Press Association under the Freedom of Information Act.
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