Around 10,000 personal details were breached in 2023.
Two police officers have been arrested in relation to payments made available to PSNI members following a 2023 data breach.
The £500 payments were offered to all officers and staff to help them take extra security measures following the 2023 breach that saw some of their personal details inadvertently made public, reports The Irish News.
PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the £500 per officer/staff member was intended to allow officers and staff to take practical steps to provide security and reassurance to them and their families.
“Following an investigation by our Anti-Corruption Unit on January 29 2025 two officers have been arrested, interviewed and bailed for fraud offences relating to the ‘universal offer’. Concurrent misconduct investigations have also commenced and the duty status of both officers is, in line with police regulations, now being considered.”
Details of almost 10,000 officers and staff were accidentally released in August 2023 as part of a botched PSNI response to a freedom of information query.
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
