Former Police Officer Accessed Confidential Crime Logs Following Father's Collision
A former West Midlands Police officer deliberately rifled through confidential crime reports after his father was involved in a road traffic collision with a cyclist, according to details revealed at a disciplinary hearing. Former PC Latham was found to have abused his position by accessing police systems multiple times to obtain information related to his family member.
Gross Misconduct Finding
The accelerated misconduct hearing determined that Latham's actions constituted gross misconduct and breached policing standards of professional behavior. Panel chair Debra Tedds stated in her report that the former officer deliberately and intentionally accessed the systems for personal reasons, which she described as unacceptable and always serious.
"He used his position as a police officer who would have access to the two systems, which he researched to find the information he required relating to his family member," Tedds wrote. "Whilst I accept that the former officer felt that he would have done the same whilst working in the control room on a member of the public ringing in, he used his position and the access he was granted as a police officer to access records that related to his father that the public would not have access to."
System Access Timeline
The panel heard detailed evidence about Latham's unauthorized access to police systems:
- On August 6, 2020, he viewed a log from the same day relating to a road traffic collision involving a cyclist and his father
- The following day, he accessed a log dated August 6, 2020, concerning the collision and allegations of criminal damage involving his father
- On August 8, he viewed the same log again
- On September 7, 2021, while on duty, he searched for his father and accessed a log dated August 10, 2020, relating to a cyclist in a road traffic collision
- That same day, he viewed a log dated September 7, 2021, concerning his father's report of a stolen motor vehicle
- He accessed this theft report log twice more on September 8 and once again on September 10
Officer's Defense and Consequences
Latham claimed his actions were undertaken with good intent and were not dishonest or for personal gain. He insisted he believed his access was lawful and legitimate because he did not share the information with anyone not on duty. The former officer stated he acted with honesty and integrity, informed his line manager about the incident, and gained nothing from accessing the logs.
Latham further explained he was attempting to identify the location of his father's stolen vehicle and find the culprits after the theft was reported. Personal mitigation offered to the panel was redacted from the public report.
The panel found Latham breached standards of professional behavior relating to confidentiality and discreditable conduct. The former officer, who did not attend the March hearing, had resigned with immediate effect in February 2026. The hearing determined he would have been dismissed had he still been serving with the force.
"Accessing confidential police information is unacceptable and will always be serious," Tedds emphasized in her report. "He could have compromised an investigation by taking the action he did, which would have been disclosable."
