Ex-police officer jailed for computer misuse

Friday, 16 October 2026 15:48

By MônFM Newsroom

A former detective who accessed police computer records without permission has been jailed for eight months.

Emma Gardner from Colwyn Bay looked at records involving a friend and three women 47 times between January and September 2022.

The ex-detective inspector denied the charges but was found guilty of accessing North Wales Police's IT systems without a policing purpose.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard she had shared information with a friend regarding a complaint against him and a complaint he had lodged.

Gardner (47), who also worked as a uniform sergeant at Caernarfon and Bangor police stations, has since been banned from policing.

A misconduct hearing ruled she would have been sacked if she had not resigned from the force before her conviction.

Following sentencing on Friday, a senior officer said Gardner "should have known better" after breaching "our trust and that of the public".

Deputy Chief Constable Nigel Harrison said: "Her behaviour was not only criminal, but far from the standards we expect from our officers."

"She was suspended during the investigation, and following her conviction she was subject to misconduct procedures where the Chief Constable determined had she not resigned, she would have been dismissed and has been placed on the barred list so she can never serve within policing again."