Cumbria police data breach points to 'wider systemic issue': Donaldson

Following what the PSNI chief constable called an “industrial scale” release of names, roles, locations and shift patterns, it emerged on Friday that the UK’s smallest force had accidentially published the names and salaries of all 2,000 employees.

In a statement the force said: “Cumbria constabulary became aware of a data breach on Monday, 6 March 2023 where information about the pay and allowances of every police officer and police staff roles as at 31 March 2022 was uploaded to the constabulary’s website, which was a human error.

“The pay and allowance data also included names and position, however it did not contain information about where the posts were deployed from or personal details such as date of birth and address. This information was removed immediately after the breach was identified”.

Sir Jeffrey said: “This issue will not simply be some ‘summer story’ that is resolved within a few weeks or months. Whilst it will fall back from the headline news, work to identify and fix the problem must be a PSNI top priority, whilst there will be a significant long-term potential threat to officers and staff which must be monitored potentially for years.”

The Lagan Valley MP said the release of this data was not the fault of a single individual, “but points to a wider systemic issue”.

He said: “That ultimately does also mean that there must be proper accountability within the organisation. That is all the more pointed when there has been a very significant expenditure by the PSNI in recent times to overhaul the operation and administration of the PSNI and make it more efficient. The effectiveness of that process will have to be a key area of scrutiny.

"The consequences are more stark within Northern Ireland, but there may be a need for national co-ordination to ensure all UK forces are properly equipped to protect such data, given news that Cumbria police has also admitted to publishing the names and salaries of more than 2,000 employees.”

Sir Jeffrey added: “It is important that resources are not a limiting factor in the response to this breach and that places a responsibility too on the Secretary of State to ensure the budget is there.

"Amongst the huge number of issues which must be drawn together, the primary concern will remain with those officers and staff identified in the breach. They must not only be given adequate support, but proper lines of communication put in place to ensure that no-one feels excluded from this process.

“All of this represents a significant challenge for the PSNI leadership in order to restore confidence within the organisation but amongst the wider public, but most importantly amongst those who serve with such dedication as officers and staff to keep the public safe.”

The party leader went on to say: “Our team on the Policing Board Trevor Clarke MLA, Joanne Bunting MLA and Maurice Bradley MLA, will continue to engage with the senior command of the PSNI to ensure this matter receives the resource and the priority required to offer adequate protection to all affected by this breach, primarily serving officers and staff and their families.”