THE PSNI's data breach scandal could have repercussions "for years", a member of the Policing Board has warned, with Catholic officers among those facing the greatest impact.
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said the data breaches, including the publishing online of details of almost 9,500 officers and civilian staff, was "beyond belief".
Police have also revealed documents were recently stolen from a police vehicle in Newtownabbey, while an officer's laptop and notebook containing information on PSNI personnel fell from a moving vehicle last week.
Mr Durkan, who was nominated to the Policing Board by the SDLP last year, said the independent review into the data breaches announced this week must leave "no stone unturned" in identifying the cause of the breaches, and "any culture within the PSNI that has allowed them to happen".
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The final, publicly available review report is due to be released in November.
"If one data breach at best could be regarded as a misfortune, and two smack of carelessness, then three of them is beyond belief," he said.
"The repercussions of recent events could well be felt for years, impacting recruitment and retention of staff, not to mention the potential colossal financial consequences of compensation payments at a time when the organisation and wider society are suffering due to extremely limited resources.
"The impact is likely to be even greater on Catholic officers, already subject to an even higher level of threat than their counterparts in the police. Many of these officers and staff have already made huge sacrifices to pursue a career in policing, to serve and protect people here."
Following the breaches, the chair of the Catholic Police Guild, which represents around 300 serving PSNI officers, said he was concerned the leaks could impact future recruitment to the force of young Catholics.
Mr Durkan warned further financial pressures on the PSNI “will inevitably lead to a reduction in responsiveness and effectiveness, which further undermines confidence across all communities”.
“Reduced budgets also mean reduced recruitment and reduced opportunities to increase nationalist representation within the PSNI,” he added, stating the SDLP wished to see a return to the force’s 50/50 recruitment policy aimed at increasing the number of officers from a Catholic background, which ended in 2011.
The Foyle MLA said policing in the north had “come a long, long way” from the days of the RUC through “positive transformational work” that is recognised worldwide.
“The immediate priority has to be to provide assurance and support to workers at a time of high anxiety for them,” he added of PSNI staff.
