Police Officer Charged with Misconduct Over Alleged Unauthorized Computer Searches

A Metropolitan Police officer has appeared in court facing charges of misconduct concerning alleged unauthorized searches on computer systems. Matthew Olive, 26, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, attended Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where he was charged with five counts of misconduct. Three of these charges relate to unauthorized searches performed on police computer systems, during which Mr Olive is accused of having shared information in WhatsApp chats with members of the public. District Judge Tan Ikram granted him bail for these offenses, which are indictable only, and instructed him to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 21 January. Mr Olive is also charged with agreeing to a woman’s request to look up her telephone number on police computer systems without any legitimate purpose between 29 December 2022 and 1 January 2023. He faces an additional charge from 22 June 2023, which involves offering to search for information on police computer systems related to the woman without any legitimate policing objective.