- Data Breach Exposes Personal Information of PSNI Employees
- Apology and Concerns Over “Monumental” Breach
- Political and Public Outrage Over Security Lapse
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has apologized for disclosing the personal information of all 10,000 of its employees.
The Northern Ireland Police Federation stated that the intrusion could cause “incalculable damage.”
After a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the PSNI revealed all police and civilian personnel’s identities, positions, and locations.
The information was subsequently published online before being removed.
Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd apologized to officers and described the error as “unacceptable.”
He added, “Currently, there is a severe threat to our colleagues from Northern Ireland-related terrorism, and this is the last thing anyone in the organization wants to hear this evening.”
I owe it to all of my coworkers to investigate this exhaustively, and we’ve already begun.
Republic of Ireland paramilitaries have targeted Northern Ireland police; the most recent attack occurred in February.
The threat to personnel necessitates that they maintain extreme security vigilance.
Many people, especially nationalists, hide their jobs from family.
The Freedom of Information request requested a breakdown of all staff ranks and grades.
The PSNI issued a spreadsheet and a table with constable numbers.
This contained the surnames, initials, and other information of over 10,000 individuals.
It seems to encompass the entire PSNI, from Chief Constable Simon Byrne on down.
There are no private addresses included.
This error is enormous in scope.
It is likely the most severe data intrusion in the company’s 22-year history.
Consequences are somewhat more challenging to evaluate.
If this had included addresses, it would have been calamitous for terrorist groups’ ability to target officers.
However, releasing employee identities could potentially expose people, many of whom try to hide their jobs from family and friends.
The fact that the information was available on a website for more than two hours will increase employee anxiety.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris was “deeply concerned” by the data breach and briefed by top PSNI personnel.
The Police Federation of Northern Ireland, which represents the interests of officers, reacted with shock and outrage to the incident, describing it as a “breach of monumental proportions.”
During the Troubles, police officers in Northern Ireland were frequently attacked by Republican paramilitary organizations, and in the years following the Good Friday Agreement, members of the PSNI have been the target of gun and bomb attacks.
In February, a gunshot in Omagh, County Tyrone, badly injured senior PSNI officer Det Ch Insp John Caldwell.
The following month, Northern Ireland’s terrorism hazard assessment went from significant to severe, suggesting a high attack risk.
The Police Federation has demanded an immediate investigation.
Its chairman, Liam Kelly, stated that stringent safeguards should have been in place to secure this valuable information, which if in the wrong hands, could cause incalculable harm.
“The individuals I represent are outraged by this violation. They are stunned, astonished, and justifiably enraged. They demand action in response to this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information, as do I.”
Mr. Kelly said the PSNI spreadsheet omitted house addresses because it would have been “potentially disastrous.”
It is believed that the sensitive information was posted online on the What Do They Know website before its removal.
Extremely concerned
The breach has been attributed to human error, and senior police personnel have been meeting to discuss it.
On Thursday, Stormont politicians will attend an emergency meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, which oversees the PSNI.
Gerry Kelly, a member of the Sinn Féin assembly, confirmed the meeting, stating that he would “ask why safeguards were not in place to prevent such a breach from occurring and how quickly measures can be implemented to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
In light of the attempted murder of DCI John Caldwell, members of the PSNI, their families, and the broader community will be extremely alarmed by this revelation, according to Mr. Kelly.
The Democratic Unionist Party’s Trevor Clarke stated, “Any data breach is unacceptable, but even more so when it reveals the personal information of rank-and-file officers.”
This not only jeopardizes the safety of officers, but it will also further erode morale within the organization at a time when employees are holding their ground in the face of unprecedented budget cuts.
Former Justice Minister and leader of the Alliance Party, Naomi Long, stated, “This level of data breach is obviously of grave concern, not least to police officers, civilian staff, and their families, who will feel extremely vulnerable and exposed tonight and in the coming days.”
“It is inexcusable that such sensitive information could have ever been stored in a manner susceptible to such a breach; however, the most pressing issue is providing support to those whose security has been compromised.”
Mike Nesbitt, a member of the Policing Board from the Ulster Unionist Party, questioned why there was no fail-safe mechanism to prevent this information from being uploaded.
His “thoughts are with those whose names were released into the public domain, who had a reasonable expectation that this would never occur.”
The leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Colum Eastwood, tweeted, “The level of incompetence here is astounding.” So perilous”
