A police officer from Essex has been dismissed without notice this week (Wednesday, October 5) for accessing confidential information.

Detective Constable Darren Paterson, who had worked as a trainer at Essex Police College, got into the police’s computer systems between 2009 and 2011 to see data that he was not allowed to.

He had also not completely filled out and lied on his vetting forms – a background check that is done on people before being offered a job with the police.

The case was assessed over two days (October 4 - 5) by an independent panel at Chelmsford County Court that was chaired by lawyer Siobhan Goodrich –it found he had committed a gross misconduct.

It said he had breached the standards of professional behaviour in the areas of confidentiality, duties and responsibilities, and honesty and integrity.

After the hearing, Assistant Chief Constable Maurice Mason said: “Officers and staff employed by Essex Police routinely come into contact with sensitive information and intelligence and it is of the upmost importance that it is handled correctly and only ever accessed for valid policing purposes.

“Any breach of this trust is completely unacceptable and will be dealt with appropriately.

“We also expect our officers to display the same level of honesty, integrity and transparency when taking part in the vetting process.

“Given the circumstances of this case the panel felt that dismissal without notice was the most appropriate course of action.”