PCSO used police database for romantic partner checks Published duration 4 November 2010

image caption Lucy Bevan had been a PCSO with the Northumbria force since 2008.

A female community support officer who used police records to check out potential romantic partners has been fined £1,100.

Magistrates in North Tyneside heard that Lucy Bevan illegally accessed the Northumbria Police confidential database hundreds of times.

The files hold details of people, vehicles, crime and property.

The 25-year-old, of Camsey Close, Longbenton, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of obtaining information illegally.

She had accessed one potential partner's file 100 times in a month.

A spokesman for the Northumbria force said after the case: "Northumbria Police expects the highest standards from all officers and takes very seriously all complaints or allegations about conduct.

"On the occasions where these standards fall short, we have systems in place to ensure we take prompt, effective action.