Telford police officer dismissed after gross misconduct hearing
He accessed policing systems to conduct searches on family members
A police officer, based in Telford, has been dismissed today (16th Jan) after a gross misconduct hearing.
The hearing found trainee Detective Constable Thomas Lauder accessed police systems without a valid policing purpose to conduct searches on family members and associates.
It happened over the space of a decade, from March 2012 to October 2022.
The 42-year-old was found to have breached the professional standards behaviour of Orders and Instructions, Confidentiality and Discreditable Conduct, as set out in the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020.
The breach was discovered, whilst he was working at Malinsgate Police Station in Telford.
Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Jones, said: “Thomas Lauder carried out numerous data breaches over a 10-year period whilst working for West Mercia Police, accessing information the general public would not have access to and without a proper policing purpose to do so.
“Lauder abused his power as a police officer, which has a negative impact on the trust the public have in police, and therefore undermines the hard work and dedication of our officers.
“Officers like Lauder have no place in our force and our commitment to removing them will continue," she said.
He has been placed on the College of Policing's Barred List, banning him from working for a UK police service.