Police Service of Northern Ireland to pay out tens of millions to data breach victims

The Police Service of Northern Ireland might have to pay up to £240 million to staff members whose sensitive personal data was compromised during a data security incident the agency suffered last year.

 

In August last year, PSNI confirmed that it suffered a data leak when a spreadsheet containing the personal data of police officers was released accidentally along with a Freedom of Information (FoI) request. This raised serious concerns about the safety and security of those whose personal data was compromised during the incident and their families.

 

The leaked data included current employees’ surnames and initials, ranks, departments, and locations. This sensitive information encompassed even the most delicate areas of the police service, including surveillance and intelligence.

 

The released data also included information about individuals currently on career breaks, potentially putting them at risk.

 

Recently, the BBC reported that PSNI is in the process of making attempts to compensate individuals whose data was compromised as a result of the data leak. While the case has been adjourned to December, a legal representative for PSNI will handle the mediation process and try to identify an amount to put to the staff as a “universal offer”.

 

“Nobody would be bound to take it, but if the issues are properly explored in mediation it offers the best prospect of finding a figure (to recommend). The objective is to try to get as many cases resolved as soon as possible, leaving a core which would require more attention.

 

“Liability is no longer an issue, it’s [now] a matter of causation and damages," a lawyer for the PSNI told the BBC.

 

In a statement shared with the media, Philip Gordon, a solicitor acting for some of the affected staff said, “We welcome this development and look forward to engaging constructively. All of our clients will have been affected differently.”