Police in N. Ireland are frightened & their families & friends could be “jeopardised” after details were published in error, a former NI Justice Minister has suggested.
Naomi Long commented that some officers may ‘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 & civilian personnel, where they were based, & their roles.
Published Online
The details were then published online.
They were removed just a few hours later.
Over 300 police officers were killed in Northern Ireland during the 30 years of violence known as ‘the Troubles’ & officers & staff remain under threat from republican paramilitaries.
The most recent attack was in Feb. when Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was seriously injured in a shooting in Omagh, County Tyrone.
Urgent Inquiry
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) has called for an ‘urgent inquiry’.
Its chairman Liam Kelly told the BBC that his overriding emotions were of “dismay, shock & anger”.
“The men & women I represent are appalled that this has happened & they’re justifiably angry,” he observed.
“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”.
Frank Investigation
Speaking to the BBC, Alliance Party leader Mrs Long stated there would have to be a full & 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’, & her focus was on making sure there was ‘adequate support’ for officers based on the level of risk.
Duty of Care
Mrs Long explained that the PSNI had a ‘duty of care’ to ensure measures were put in place to offer officers proper guidance & additional security measures as necessary.
“These are people, both staff & officers, who put themselves at risk in order to keep the rest of us safe & the organisation has failed to protect their data & keep them safe,” she added.
Threat Faced
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 & remain committed to using violence to try to bring about a united Ireland.
In March this year, the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was raised from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’, meaning that 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.
However much of the information in the breach is already in the public realm.
For example. uniformed officers wear badges with their names & ranks if on duty.
Emergency Meeting
An emergency meeting of the Policing Board, which oversees the PSNI, will be held on Thurs. morning.
Mike Nesbitt from the Ulster Unionist Party, who sits on the board, commented that there were ‘more questions than answers’, & queried why there was no “fail safe” mechanism to prevent the information being uploaded.
He added that 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.
Revealing their Occupation
Democratic Unionist Party Policing Board member Trevor Clarke stated that some officers had now been forced into revealing their occupation to their families.
He described the data breach as a ‘monumental error’ & observed 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’ if “all of this information is in the one place & at the touch of a button”.
