The UK's West Midlands Police has released a woman on bail as part of an investigation into a data breach at a Walsall general practitioner's (GP) surgery.
According to a statement issued by Croft Surgery in Willenhall on December 17, the 29-year-old, "a member of staff who is not employed directly by the surgery," is accused of theft.
Croft Surgery did not offer further details on the nature of the suspect's employment, or the breach itself.
The Register contacted West Midlands Police for additional information.
The surgery stated: "Any patients who may have been affected will be contacted directly in due course. We appreciate that this matter may cause concern and we would like to reassure patients that protecting personal data remains a top priority."
According to local news outlet Express & Star, which first reported the news, the woman was arrested on December 16 and later bailed, pending further investigation.
Croft Surgery, which did not name or otherwise identify the suspect, said the person accused of the "unlawful data breach" was assisting police officers with their inquiries.
No official sources have confirmed the nature of the breach, nor the types of data stolen.
However, in loosely related incidents from years gone by, the information typically stolen from or misplaced by GP surgeries includes personal and sensitive medical data.
West Midlands Police told The Register to expect additional information later today, but warned of a delay since the force's comms department is unusually overwhelmed at present.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford this week admitted to using Microsoft Copilot to generate information that would later inform the force's decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a match held at Aston Villa's stadium, located in the middle of England, in November.
Guildford previously denied using AI to generate the report, but told the Home Affairs Committee on Monday that he did indeed use Copilot to generate it.
That report referenced a fictitious match between the Israeli club and London-based West Ham United, one that never took place, and warned that allowing Maccabi fans to attend could lead to violence in the city.
The decision to ban Maccabi fans from the match is all the more controversial now we know it was based on AI hallucinations.
Guildford remains in post for now, but is due to meet with Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, who has the authority to terminate his employment, on January 27.
Foster said on Wednesday that he will "give all these issues full and proper consideration" before the meeting, and acknowledged that "it is my statutory duty to hold the Chief Constable to account for the totality of policing in the West Midlands."
West Midlands Police said it was "extremely sorry" for the mistake and did not intend to distort the facts or discriminate against any groups. ®
Source: The register