Re: What's the point?
While the unintended consequences you point out are a risk, in each case the "staff" were incentivised to commit their crime directly (i.e. they could make a personal difference to their remuneration).
I don't think with something as fundamentally different as major fines for corporations issued by a body that there is the same opportunity for an individual in the ICO to "line their own pockets" in the same way as your Cop or Security Guard.
You need to trust the integrity of your staff to an extent, and have audit controls to monitor compliance.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
