A former trainee police officer has been handed a lifetime ban from the service after she was found to have passed sensitive information from force computers to her drug dealer boyfriend.
Betrayal of Trust and Confidential Data
Maryam Ilyas, who was just 20 years old, abused her position as a student officer with West Yorkshire Police by accessing confidential data. She searched for details about her boyfriend on the police computer system on three separate occasions between March and May 2025, informing him about an active police operation targeting him.
The former officer, who had joined the force in June 2024, failed to declare her relationship with the man during her vetting process. When questioned by investigators in January of this year, she claimed she was 'unaware of his criminal history'.
Discovery and Disciplinary Hearing
The illicit relationship was uncovered in June when the man was arrested. Officers discovered messages between the pair, which included pictures of money and conversations about drugs.
Catherine Hankinson, the force's former deputy chief constable who led the disciplinary hearing, stated that the messages indicated an 'existing relationship' that continued until July 2025. She ruled that Ilyas's conduct had been 'repeated', 'sustained' and 'intentional'.
Ilyas resigned just before her disciplinary hearing, but the panel determined that she would have been fired immediately had she not left. She subsequently admitted to the allegations, including failing to declare the relationship on her vetting form, and was found to have committed gross misconduct.
Fallout and Public Confidence
In her concluding remarks, Ms Hankinson emphasised the seriousness of the breach. 'The public rightly expect police officers to act with honesty and integrity,' she said. 'The vast majority of officers in West Yorkshire Police do uphold those high standards. The conduct of the former officer does a disservice to the public and to her colleagues.'
Prior to the hearing, Ilyas had attempted to deflect blame, telling a newspaper, 'I was a student officer. I was really new to all this and I feel like I was expected to know everything straight away.' This defence was ultimately dismissed in light of the evidence against her.
