The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has apologised after information about all of the force’s serving officers and staff was published in a data breach.
At a press conference in Belfast, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said the surname, initial, the rank or grade, the location and the departments of all current officers had been accidentally published in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Mr Todd said: “In terms of the security for individuals, there’s nothing at the moment to suggest there’s any immediate security concerns, but we have put actions in place to ensure that if anything does arise we will be aware of that, and then we can mitigate accordingly.”
He added: “This is human error.
I’m deeply concerned by the data breach involving the PSNI.
My officials are in close contact with senior officers and are keeping me updated.Advertisement— Chris Heaton-Harris MP (@chhcalling) August 8, 2023
“We’ve looked into the circumstances, we’ll continue with our investigation, but the very early considerations are that this is simple human error and the people who have been involved in the process have acted in good faith.
“We’ve identified some steps that we can take to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
“It is regrettable but it is simple human error.”
Britain's Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said: “I’m deeply concerned by the data breach involving the PSNI. My officials are in close contact with senior officers and are keeping me updated.”
A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner’s Office said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided.”
Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI), said an urgent inquiry is needed, and members of the PFNI are “appalled”.
“This is a breach of monumental proportions. Even if it was done accidentally, it still represents a data and security breach that should never have happened,” he said.
“Rigorous safeguards ought to have been in place to protect this valuable information which, if in the wrong hands, could do incalculable damage.
“The men and women I represent are appalled by this breach. They are shocked, dismayed and justifiably angry. Like me, they are demanding action to address this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information.
“We have many colleagues who do everything possible to protect their police roles. We’re fortunate that the PSNI spreadsheet didn’t contain officer and staff home addresses, otherwise we would be facing a potentially calamitous situation.
“Inadequate or poor oversight of FOI procedures must be addressed and addressed urgently. New safeguards are obviously required to prevent this from ever happening again.”
