Police officers often shared login details to gain access to the force’s incident report system but, although this was illegal, it was not investigated, a court heard yesterday.

Police Inspector Jonathan Ransley told a magistrate that some police officers did not have access to the system, which they needed for logistical reasons.

Police Sergeant Leeroy Balzan in the back of a police car. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

He admitted he knew of specific cases where officers gave colleagues their login details to be able to input their reports.

When it was pointed out that this was a crime that carried a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail, Inspector Ransley said he had never investigated the sharing of this highly sensitive information.

Inspector Ransley, stationed at the Sliema police station, explained that not all officers working at police stations had access to the system so their colleagues would give them their password to be able to input police reports.

Police IT section Inspector Pierre Minuti explained that, of the 2,155 members of the police force, only 1,816 had a password to get into the system.

The 339 who did not have a password could include police officers who did not require the report system, such as cleaners, those working with the maintenance team and the cavalry section, among others, he said.

Some officers did not have access to the system, which they need for logistical reasons

The password sharing practised by police officers emerged during the compilation of evidence against Police Sergeant Leeroy Balzan, who is charged with deleting the first four paragraphs of the police incident report about the November 19 shooting incident involving police constable Paul Sheehan, the driver of former Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia.

The former home affairs minister’s driver Paul Sheehan.

Mr Sheehan separately stands charged with shooting at a man.

Mr Balzan, 31, from Sliema, is charged with crimes related to computer misuse.

He is accused of preventing the input of data, changing, deleting or adding official data, revealing a password to give access to official files to unauthorised people, committing crimes that were damaging to a government function, doing something to prejudice his superiors and committing a crime he was duty bound to prevent.

The crimes are alleged to have taken place on November 22 between 1pm and 2pm at the Sliema police station.

CCTV footage presented in court shows a uniformed man leaving the Sliema police station 25 minutes before the shooting incident report was deleted.

‘I couldn’t be 100% certain it was him’

Police Inspector Jesmond Micallef, who investigated the deletion, admitted when pressed under cross examination that the person seen in the footage had a stature that was “similar” to that of PS Balzan and even had PS Balzan’s gait.

There was enough prima facie evidence for PS Balzan to be indicted

However, he said he could not be “100 per cent certain” that it was him.

Inspector Micallef said it was Attorney General Peter Grech who suggested that the police had enough grounds to proceed with a criminal case against PS Balzan.

Police Inspector Graziella Muscat, from the police media relations unit, testified that on that day she had called the Sliema police station for information on the shooting from the police report and to confirm whether there were any names on the detainee list.

At the end of yesterday’s sitting, Magistrate Doreen Clarke ruled that there was enough prima facie evidence for PS Balzan to be indicted over the charges brought against him.

The case continues in February.

Police Inspectors Sandro Camilleri and Jesmond Micallef prosecuted while lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri appeared for PS Balzan.