Northern Ireland declare ‘critical incident’ after 10k PSNI staff affected in data breach

The breach has been labelled as ‘unacceptable’ The Police Chief in Northern Ireland has announced a “critical incident” following an unintended online publication of the names of 10,000 officers and personnel. Simon Byrne, the chief constable of PSNI, has ended his holiday to promptly address the consequences of yesterday’s unexpected revelation in Belfast. This situation has arisen amidst concerns regarding the safety of officers engaged in covert activities related to counter-terrorism and organised crime. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris met the Chief Constable and is being kept “abreast of developments” in relation to the leak, which he described as “very serious”. The wife of one officer today told how they were all “living in fear” after the release. Liam Kelly said the leak has left people feeling ‘vulnerable’ “We will have to be extra vigilant going forward,’ she told Sky News. “Although our personal addresses haven’t been included in this breach, we already have to be careful about having that connection with the PSNI and because of that information now being in the public domain we have no control over who knows. “We also have young children to protect and there are still people out there who deem police officers and their families as legitimate targets so it just adds that further element of fear to our daily life.” Sharing the last names of over 10,000 individuals, the data seems to encompass every member of the service, from Mr Byrne and below. Trending SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info