The New Westminster Police Department is confirming that a Police Act investigation is being conducted against one of its members for alleged misuse of information obtained from a police computer database. Once the allegations were brought to the attention of the NWPD, an immediate Order to Investigate from the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner was obtained and a formal investigation was launched.
While this allegation is still under active investigation, it is one that has been taken very seriously by Chief Constable Dave Jones. To preserve public trust and confidence in the NWPD, Chief Constable Jones took immediate action to remove this member’s access to all police computer databases when the investigation was brought to his attention. It should also be noted that at the time of the initial allegation, the member involved was not on active duty due to an unrelated matter. Effective today, this member has now been formally suspended with pay, and his status with the NWPD will be reviewed by the NWPD Police Board as the investigation progresses.
The NWPD want to assure the public that safeguards are in place to protect the personal information retained in NWPD computer databases and to ensure it is not improperly accessed or disseminated.