Secret police files were lying in the middle of the street

It is September 2023. Just a few minutes' walk from Europol headquarters is the Police Department's Human Resources Management Building.

Personnel files have been removed from the vault

While the modern concrete headquarters has the highest security precautions with the three security gates shown above or doors that can only be opened if an employee places his or her palm on the scanner, access restrictions in the Human Resources Department building are clearly not high.

While most police officers are based at Europol headquarters, there are civilians in the Human Resources building. People who don't have three separate computer systems to maintain the highest level of security and data protection, such as their police colleagues in the main building. These are people who still keep employee files in paper form, apparently in a single file Basement Store. A place accessible only to HR employees.

A single-digit number of files has disappeared

It was precisely from this vault that the personnel files suddenly disappeared last fall. Insiders talk about a single-digit number of documents. Has anyone in HR noticed this? Not clear. The organization has more than 1,400 employees. It is also unclear whether there are “just” paper files for everyone. In any case, there is no official report on the loss.

However, one day, one of the missing files is needed and it is discovered that the file is no longer in the vault. A high-level employee in HR comes into focus relatively quickly, Currier research shows.

But it gets worse. Shortly after the files were noticed to have disappeared, files containing highly personal details about Europol employees, some of whom investigate highly sensitive and dangerous crime areas, reappear: in the middle of the street in The Hague.

Files on a park bench?

Some people say the files were on a park bench. This cannot be verified by searching the site. It is also unclear whether the files were delivered to the police station or directly to Europol headquarters. Perhaps the honest discoverer was only partially aware of what he found in the middle of the North Sea city.

Legal action is being taken against a high-ranking employee in the HR department who has been the focus of attention from the beginning. He is currently no longer in service.

Europol confirms the action

In response to Courier's request, Europol said: “We confirm that there is an internal procedure dealing with potential misconduct. Since this procedure is ongoing, we cannot say more about it.” jan ob gene orth, Head of Communications at Europol.

It is still unclear which employee files were affected by the security breach. Also why would someone have to leave them outside the police department building.

However, it cannot be ruled out that suspects are also present within the ranks of the Human Resources Department. Anyone who talks to people who know the organization will always hear one word: revenge.

Data protection is guaranteed for Member States

In any case, the “security incident” has no impact on the data protection of the information Europol receives from its member states, which, as emphasized, includes Austria. The exchange takes place here on our secure lines.

Paper files are likely only available in the police department's outbuildings with the vault.