She used a police crime recording system to look up details about one person and the car insurance details of another person known to her
File photo of a police officer(Image: Chris Vaughan/Lincolnshire Echo)
A former police officer who used police systems to look up a member of the public’s personal details has been barred from policing.
PC Charlotte Turner was found to have committed gross misconduct during an accelerated hearing at Avon and Somerset Police’s Portishead HQ on Thursday, May 21. The hearing was overseen by a legally qualified chair.
The hearing heard how PC Turner used Niche, the police crime recording system, to look up details about a person and the car insurance details of another person known to her.
The chair said that PC Turner would have been sacked had she still been employed by the service, and she has been barred from policing.
The former constable was arrested in October 2024, one month after the allegations came to light.
The inappropriate use of police systems came to light in September 2024, and she was arrested the following month.
PC Turner was suspended while the criminal investigation was carried out, and she later resigned in March 2025.
On June 26, 2025, Turner pleaded guilty to two counts of computer misuse at Bristol Magistrates’ Court. She was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on August 29 to an 18-month community order and was told she must complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
A five-year restraining order was also granted against former PC Turner, and she was ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge.
On the conclusion of the criminal case, gross misconduct proceedings continued, and an allegation of discreditable conduct was found to be proven.
Head of Professional Standards Department, Supt Larisa Hunt, said: “It is our responsibility as police officers to uphold the law and our professional standards of behaviour and the actions of PC Turner were unacceptable.
“We have access to a large amount of personal information which should only be used for a policing purpose and should be correctly documented with rationale behind the access.
“It is important that our officers and staff maintain strong professional boundaries and should never use their job to their perceived benefit.
“We recognise that the majority of officers do abide by our policies and maintain such boundaries, but it is our job in Professional Standards to weed out those who seek to use the information for unjust or inappropriate reasons.”