09/08/23
PSNI data breach: Officers and staff 'frightened' after details leaked
Police officers in Northern Ireland are frightened and their families and friends could be "jeopardised" after details were published in error, a former NI justice minister has said.
Naomi Long said some officers would consider their futures with the force.
In response to a freedom of information (FoI) request, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) shared names of all police and civilian personnel, where they were based and their roles.
The details were then published online.
They were removed a few hours later.
More than 300 police officers were murdered in Northern Ireland during the 30 years of violence known as the Troubles and officers and staff remain under threat from republican paramilitaries.
Speaking on BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme, Alliance Party leader Mrs Long said there would have to be a full and frank investigation into the circumstances of the breach, including why the data was available to be released in unencrypted form.
She added that the digital footprint would be almost impossible to eradicate and her focus was on making sure there was adequate support for officers based on the level of risk.
Mrs Long said the PSNI had a duty of care to ensure measures were put in place to offer officers proper guidance and additional security measures if necessary.
"These are people, both staff and officers, who put themselves at risk in order to keep the rest of us safe and the organisation has failed to protect their data and keep them safe," she added.
An emergency meeting of the Policing Board, which oversees the PSNI, will be held on Thursday morning.
Mike Nesbitt from the Ulster Unionist Party, who sits on the board, said there were more questions than answers.
He queried why there was no "fail safe" mechanism to prevent the information being uploaded.
When asked whether he had confidence in Chief Constable Simon Byrne, Mr Nesbitt said he was "not a fan of the knee-jerk reaction".
"If you simply take Simon Byrne out today, who's in charge this afternoon? And does that make it better?" he said.
Northern Ireland police have long been the targets of republican paramilitaries - the latest attack was in February when Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was seriously injured in a shooting in Omagh, County Tyrone.
Threat faced by police
During the Troubles, 302 police officers were killed.
They currently face a threat from dissident republican groups who oppose the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.
They remain committed to using violence to try to bring about a united Ireland, something which has been rejected by Sinn Féin - currently the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland - for many years.
In March, the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack was highly likely.
The threat to officers means they must be extremely vigilant about their security.
Many, especially from nationalist communities, keep their employment secret, in some cases even from many family members.
Mr Nesbitt said he was aware of a police officer who had not been able to eat a meal at their mother's home for 10 years due to the security risk posed to them.
Democratic Unionist Party policing board member Trevor Clarke said some officers had been forced into revealing their occupation to their families.
He described the data breach as a monumental error and said it would be a "long, arduous task"to get to the bottom of it.
Sinn Féin's justice spokesman Gerry Kelly, who also sits on the Policing Board, said the breach suggested systemic problems within the PSNI.
How did the breach happen?
The FoI from a member of the public asked the PSNI: "Could you provide the number of officers at each rank and number of staff at each grade?"
What they got back was not only a numerical table, but, by mistake, a huge Excel spreadsheet.
This was referred to by the police as "the source data" and should not have been released as part of the FoI.
Everything which was provided under the FoI, including the spreadsheet, was then published on an FoI website, What Do They Know, on Tuesday afternoon.
It was removed after two-and-a-half hours at the PSNI's request, once it became aware of it.
Each line contains multiple pieces of information from the top of the organisation down.
It includes the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in, including sensitive areas such as surveillance and intelligence.
Apologising to officers at a press conference on Tuesday evening, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said the error was unacceptable.
"We operate in an environment, at the moment, where there is a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism and this is the last thing that anybody in the organisation wants to be hearing this evening," he said.
"I owe it to all of my colleagues to investigate this thoroughly and we've initiated that."
The chief constable is on holiday but is being kept informed of developments.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he was "deeply concerned" by the data breach and that senior PSNI officers were keeping him updated.
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland called for an urgent inquiry.
Its chairman Liam Kelly told the BBC that his overriding emotions were of "dismay, shock and anger".
He called for new safeguarding systems to be put in place.
"The men and women I represent are appalled that this has happened and they're justifiably angry," he said.
"The trust from our officers is broken by this."
Mr Kelly added it was fortunate the PSNI spreadsheet had not given home addresses, saying that would have been a "potentially calamitous situation".
BBC News NI understands the contents of the FoI have been seen by current and former PSNI staff.
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