PSNI faces hefty data breach fine

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has expressed its “extreme disappointment” after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) upheld a £750,000 fine related to a significant data breach. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher described the fine as “regrettable,” especially given the PSNI’s current budget shortfall of £34m. The breach, which occurred in August last year, involved the accidental release of personal details of all 9,400 officers and staff, later accessed by dissident republicans. Information Commissioner John Edwards said: “A lack of simple internal administration procedures resulted in the personal details of an entire workforce, many of whom had made great sacrifices to conceal their employment, being exposed.”