A man has been arrested in connection with the major PSNI data breach in which the personal and employment data of 10,000 police officers and staff was published online.
The PSNI said detectives investigating “criminality linked to last week’s freedom of information data breach” carried out a search in Lurgan, Co Armagh on Wednesday. A 39-year-old was detained on suspicion of collection of information likely to be useful to terrorists and taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite in Belfast for questioning.
Last week the PSNI mistakenly released the surname, first initial and employment details - including where they work and their department - of every serving police officer and civilian member of staff alongside a response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.
Following the leak, dissident republicans claimed they had accessed the information, which was available online for several hours before being removed.
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Chief Constable Simon Byrne confirmed on Monday that the details were now in the hands of dissident republicans after a section of the data – several A4 pages – appeared on a wall opposite the Sinn Féin office on the Falls Road in west Belfast.
Following Wednesday’s arrest, Det Chief Supt Andy Hill said police were “working tirelessly to address the risk posed to officers and staff”.
“Today’s search operation, and subsequent arrest, is just one piece of a largescale operation,” he said. “We will continue in our efforts to disrupt criminal activity associated with this freedom of information data breach and to keep communities, and our officers and staff who serve them, safe.”
Meanwhile, the head of the Catholic church in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, spoke to Mr Byrne on Wednesday about the data breach and its implications. Concerns had been raised that it would affect the recruitment of Catholic men and women into the PSNI.
Members of the Catholic community in Northern Ireland are traditionally under-represented in the police service, and face additional security concerns – such as having to move away from their home area or leave sports clubs – because of the threat from dissident republicans.
Officers and civilian staff from all backgrounds have expressed concern for their safety following the data breach.
Two police officers have been killed by dissident republicans since the formation of the PSNI in 2001. Earlier this year, senior detective John Caldwell was seriously injured in a gun attack by dissident republicans as he left a youth soccer training session in Omagh.
Archbishop Martin said he had “recently spoken to several families and relatives of Catholic PSNI members” and wished to state his “unequivocal support for all those who serve as police members or civilian support workers for the PSNI.
“I have previously encouraged young people from the Catholic community to consider a career in policing,” he said, adding that “today I reiterate this sentiment. For that reason I also call on everyone in the community to reject entirely those who would intimidate or threaten the courageous women and men - including those from the Catholic community - who selflessly choose this noble vocation of policing.”
He said the “future of peace and prosperity across the island of Ireland will depend upon respect and support for policing”, adding that he had “assured the Chief Constable that all members of the PSNI, and their families, are in my prayers at this time.”
