PSNI officers and staff affected by data breach offered £7,500 compensation each

Thousands of officers and staff employed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have been offered payments of £7,500 (€8,700) after a data breach resulted in their personal details being published in error.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland, which represents rank-and-file officers, said the compensation offer made was “substantial and major progress in this protracted matter”.

Thousands sought damages after a spreadsheet containing the initials, surnames, ranks and roles of all officers and staff was released in error as part of a freedom of information request in August 2023.

Nearly 9,500 officers and staff members were affected by the breach. The information was later obtained by dissident republicans.

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Liam Kelly, who chairs the Police Federation, said the group action had delivered a “decent outcome” for most officers affected by the breach.

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However, the association said the universal offer would not cover exceptional cases where officers in particularly sensitive roles or those with readily identifiable names and certain addresses might decide to continue their legal action.

Kelly described the breach as a “very costly error by the PSNI”, noting that £119 million was ring-fenced for compensation payments from April.

In December, the Stormont Executive agreed to set aside the sum for payouts.

While many officers would be able to “draw a line under the case and move on with their careers” following the offer, Kelly said it was not a “one-size-fits-all”.

“We will see some colleagues who were left particularly vulnerable wishing to proceed with their legal cases,” he said.

“Many of our officers felt extremely vulnerable by the information that was accidentally released. The upheaval forced some to relocate or install substantial home security systems to protect themselves and their families.

“This federation welcomes the universal offer. It will deliver welcome closure for many of them, but we have to recognise the fact that for some of our colleagues, the damage caused by the breach will have longer-term effects and consequences.”