A privacy advocacy group has published research showing that hundreds of police employees have been investigated for breaching the Data Protection Act in the past three years, The Guardian reports. The group Big Brother Watch sent freedom-of-information requests to police forces in England and Wales, finding that 904 employees have been disciplined for such breaches, and 243 have received criminal convictions. Ninety-eight employees have been dismissed for DPA breaches. A Big Brother Watch spokesperson said the investigation showed that police employees have "been found to have run background records checks on friends and possible partners" and some have "been convicted for passing sensitive information to criminal gangs and drug dealers."
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