There has been a major data breach involving officers and civilian staff of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The breach reportedly involves names, ranks and other personal data, but does not involve the officers’ and civilians’ private addresses, it is understood.
Surnames, staff numbers, roles and where officers are based were published as part of an FOI request, according to the police federation. The Belfast Telegraph reported that a spreadsheet was published online relating to how many officers the PSNI has of each rank, but that the spreadsheet had a second tab that contained more detailed information about thousands of staff members and their employment.
It says that this information was mistakenly posted online for a period of time.
The chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, expressed anger over the breach and has called for an urgent inquiry.
Kelly said: “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.
“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.”
More to follow