Published Date: 16.06.2016

A police officer has been cleared of allegations that she disclosed sensitive personal information which was then posted by a player of the online virtual reality game Ingress.

A man who plays the game alleged that a police officer had disclosed sensitive personal information about him to a rival player, who then sent the information via the game’s messaging service.

The man lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman’s Office, alleging that a police officer had inappropriately accessed police records then released the information about him.

A Police Ombudsman investigator undertook a detailed check of police systems, but found no evidence that the officer in question had accessed the man’s details.

The investigator said: “There was no evidence of police misconduct in this case, but it nevertheless serves to illustrate that our actions online always relate back to the real world.”