PSNI leadership urged to give ‘full response’ after data breach raises concerns over future recruitment

The leadership of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been urged to give a “full response” following a major data blunder.

The “industrial scale breach of data” this week saw some details of about 10,000 officers and staff published online for a number of hours. Dissident republicans have claimed to be in possession of the information.

The Catholic Police Guild, the body which represents a significant number of Catholic members of the PSNI, said it is concerned the issue will impact recruitment.

In 2001 the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which was overwhelmingly Protestant, was renamed PSNI, with one of the aims to build broader community support and increase the number of Catholic staff.

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Guild chairman Superintendent Gerry Murray is seeking an urgent meeting with Chief Constable Simon Byrne.

“Our guild was formed to provide a support service within the PSNI for Catholic members, and to raise issues which impact on their work within the PSNI,” he said.

“It is hard to think of a more pressing issue for Catholic officers and staff than the data breaches which have come to light this week. Everyone understands the particular difficulties faced by Catholic members of the PSNI and indeed the implications of this for potential new recruits from the Catholic community.

“Our members have expressed genuinely held concerns over the release of this information, they are worried for themselves and in many cases for their family members. As chairman of the Guild I am also concerned about the impact on future recruitment of young Catholics into the police service.

“We are seeking an urgent meeting with the Chief Constable and senior colleagues and we want to be assured that the data breach will be fully and quickly investigated and procedures put in place to ensure it cannot happen again.”

[ PSNI officers still check under their cars before leaving home - the data breach must be viewed in that context ]

[ PSNI data breach: Police and politicians react to ‘appalling’ breach affecting thousands of staff ]

On Thursday, it was reported that a group set up by the PSNI for those concerned about risk after the breach has had more than 600 referrals.

Ulster Unionist Party MLA Mike Nesbitt, who sits on the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said he is concerned about the capacity of police to give urgent individual risk assessments to 10,000 officers and staff.

He also contended that some officers have lost confidence in the PSNI over the breach.

“It’s clear they’re going to have to triage, and what they’re saying is they’re going to be reactive so that if somebody puts their hand up and says ‘am I in danger’, they’ll give them that risk assessment,” Mr Nesbitt said.

“But I have been contacted over the last couple of days by officers who say, ‘I think I’m at risk but I’m not going anywhere near my line manager because I’ve lost all confidence in the PSNI’, and that I think is a huge problem.” – PA