Police officer sentenced for data protection violation in Oulu

The Rovaniemi Court of Appeal has sentenced a police officer from the Oulu Police Department to 20 daily fines for violating data protection laws and breaching official duties. The officer, who served as the lead investigator, accessed a police report related to a traffic accident involving their partner on multiple occasions. According to the prosecution, the officer obtained information about a person involved in the incident and made contact with them, while their partner also reached out to that individual. The officer was neither the lead investigator nor an investigator in this particular case.

The officer denied acquiring information from the relevant database, known as the Patja system, claiming instead to have received the information through other means. They also stated that they did not disclose any sensitive information to their partner.

In November 2022, the Oulu District Court ruled that the officer’s account of events could be plausible and that there was insufficient evidence to confirm that they had obtained information from the Patja system, leading to the dismissal of the charges.

However, the Court of Appeal overturned this decision, stating that the officer would have inevitably seen the victim’s information upon accessing the database. The court concluded that the officer’s actions constituted a violation of data protection laws and that they lacked justification for reviewing the specific report. Furthermore, the court indicated that the officer’s conduct had undermined public trust in the adequacy of official actions.

As a penalty, the officer was fined 20 daily fines, totaling 800 euros based on their income. A request for leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court can be made. The story was initially reported by Kaleva.