A FORMER detective inspector from Colwyn Bay has been barred from policing after being convicted of computer misuse.
Emma Gardner, 46, of Abergele Road, was found guilty after a trial last month of causing a computer to perform a function to secure unauthorised access to data.
Gardner accessed 13 digital occurrences linked to a friend without a policing purpose on 47 occasions between January and September of 2022.
She had passed information to the friend when she was previously an officer based in Rhyl.
At a North Wales Police accelerated misconduct hearing on Monday (August 17), the force’s chief constable, Amanda Blakeman, found an allegation of gross misconduct proved, and directed that Gardner’s name be added to the College of Policing “barred list”.
Gardner would have been dismissed without notice from her role if she had not already resigned; her last day of service was August 10.
Chief constable Blakeman said Gardner’s conduct was “deliberate, repeated and intentional,” and said it “plainly damages the reputation of the police service”.
She said Gardner "was expected to be a role model for others," but committed a “serious abuse of the trust placed in officers".
The chief constable added: “The officer held a senior rank, and occupied a position of trust and responsibility.
"This was not an isolated error, or a momentary lapse in judgment."
Gardner had an otherwise clean disciplinary record, and served North Wales Police for more than 26 years, but admitted that her conduct in this matter amounted to gross misconduct.
Her sentencing hearing will take place at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday, September 11.
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