The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have launched an investigation after police documents and equipment were stolen from a vehicle in County Antrim
The PSNI’s Senior Information Risk Owner, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said:
"Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the theft of documents, including a spreadsheet containing the names of over 200 serving officers and staff.
"The documents, along with a police issue laptop and radio, were believed to have been stolen from a private vehicle in the Newtownabbey area on 6 July. We have contacted the officers and staff concerned to make them aware of the incident and an initial notification has been made to the office of the Information Commissioner regarding the data breach.
“This is an issue we take extremely seriously and as our investigation continues we will keep the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Information Commissioner’s Office updated.”
Details of theft have only been revealed today - a month after the incident occurred. It comes on the heels of a 'critical incident' that has been declared this week when a spreadsheet was published online containing the personal details of every serving officer in the force along with other employed staff.
Police confirmed the document was leaked by human error by a staff member responding to a Freedom Of Information request.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne will cut short his family holiday, and return to Northern Ireland ahead of a meeting on Thursday (10 August) of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.