Calls for police chief to quit after huge PSNI data breach

There have been calls for an urgent inquiry into the data breach that divulged the details of more 10,000 PSNI officers and staff.

A spreadsheet listing the ranks, roles and surnames of police officers and civilian staff was mistakenly released in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.

The FoI had asked for a breakdown of all PSNI staff, their ranks and grades but the additional information was provided by mistake.

The spreadsheet is believed to include the details of every PSNI employee from chief constable through to rank and file officers and clerical staff.

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It does not include any private addresses.

In a press conference last night,  Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd accepted how difficult the news would be for police staff.

He said:  “In the response (to the FOI request) unfortunately one of our colleagues has embedded the source data. What was within that data was the surname, initial, the rank or grade, the location and the department for each of our employees across the police service. 

“I understand that will be of considerable concern to many of my colleagues and their families.” 

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He said the information was taken down very quickly and he asked anyone who did have access to it to delete it immediately.  

Police Federation chair Liam Kelly said an urgent inquiry was needed.

He called on Chief Constable Simon Byrne and his senior colleagues to outline the "steps they intend taking to limit the damage to protect identities".

"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," he said.

“Rigorous safeguards ought to have been in place to protect this valuable information which, if in the wrong hands, could do incalculable damage."

Mr Kelly said his members were "shocked, dismayed and justifiably angry". 

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"Like me, they are demanding action to address this unprecedented disclosure of sensitive information," he said.

The Police Federation chair said many officers "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," he said. 

“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.”

The Policing Board is expected to call an emergency meeting to discuss the breach as soon as is practicable.

Former justice minister Naomi Long said the data breach was of "profound concern" to police officers, civilian staff, and their families.

She said many would be feeling "incredibly vulnerable".

The Alliance leader said it was "unconscionable" that such sensitive information could have been held in a manner open to such a breach.

"Immediate action must be taken to offer them proper information, support, guidance and necessary reassurances regarding their and their families' security," she said.

"Whilst the personal data has now been removed, once such information has been published online, it leaves an indelible footprint."

The DUP’s lead Policing Board representative Trevor Clarke described the breach as a "deeply alarming development" that he said came "hot on the heels of separate reports of theft and trespassing on the police estate".

"The public will be rightly seeking answers and they deserve to see a robust response from the PSNI senior command," he said. 

"Any data breach is unacceptable but more so when it disclose personal information identifying rank and file officers – the scale of this breach seems unprecedented."

Ulster Unionist Policing Board member Mike Nesbitt called for an emergency meeting of the board today in order that members could hear directly from the PSNI’s senior executive team. 

"It is imperative that officers, staff and their families and friends understand how seriously this breach is being taken and that the board is determined to fulfil its oversight and challenge functions appropriately," he said.

SDLP policing spokesperson Mark H Durkan said the breach would be causing "immense distress" for officers.

"This represents a critical systems failure and must be addressed immediately," he said.

Former Policing Board member Tom Kelly said the chief constable "has to resign".

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"The PSNI has been failing and being failed for quite a while," he said. 

"The result is police officers, their families and those they serve are being let down – if I was still a policing board member, I’d be calling for accountability at the highest level".