A PROBE has been launched after confidential documents about a harassment investigation were apparently found on the pavement outside Loughton Police Station and then posted by a resident to all the people involved.

The nine pages, which contain information about a case in which a man allegedly pestered his ex-partner with repeated phone calls and punched her front door, along with the woman's full details, were said to have been found close to the entrance of the building on Friday morning (May 14).

The Guardian has been sent copies of the documents by an anonymous “concerned passer-by” - but he also sent them to the woman and her alleged harasser.

Police have said they do not know how the papers, some of which are marked “confidential” under the Data Protection Act, got into the public domain.

The woman, a mother-of-two from Waltham Cross who asked not to be named, said her ex-partner had angrily telephoned her after receiving the documents.

She told the Guardian: “I was angry at first and I was going to issue a complaint to the police but I'm not going to now. I understand that mistakes can be made and I don't want to fight a separate case against them – I want them to help me.

“It's caused me a lot of worry.

“I think it's pretty low that this person sent it all to my ex-partner as well. It could have made things a lot worse for me and my children.

“It's very eerie to know that someone out there has all my details and who knows what else, and who knows who else he's sent them to.”

An officer at Loughton Police Station, who asked not to be named, said: “We are investigating and that is on-going.

“Our main concern is not a whistle blower but how these documents got out there. Clearly it's an unacceptable thing to happen.”

He added that no other police documents were missing, and refused to rule out the possibility that they may have been stolen.

The anonymous letter sent to the Guardian said: “I...found [the documents] near the entrance to Loughton Police Station this morning at 8am.

“What are these documents doing in the public domain – they are marked 'restricted when complete' and come under the Data Protection Act. It would seem that it has been dropped by a police officer.

“I think the lady involved should know about this matter and I am sending a copy of it all to her”.