Chief Constable rebukes Treasury over data breach money

The PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has rebuked the Treasury for refusing to help cover the cost of compensation for officers affected by a major data breach.

Last week, BBC News NI revealed that the Treasury had turned down a fresh bid by Stormont’s finance minister for £119m to deal with the bill.

He had asked London for a reserve claim, which is a call on a Treasury fund that exists to cover unforeseen, unavoidable and unaffordable spending pressures.

The government said the request did not meet that criteria – a decision which the PSNI Chief Constable has now heavily criticised.

Mr Boutcher’s letter to the Treasury’s permanent secretary James Bowler, which has been seen by BBC News NI, states that Boutcher holds “deep concern and disappointment” about the move.

The letter, which was sent on Wednesday said: “The decision to decline the Northern Ireland Executive Reserve Claim has had a profound effect on morale within the PSNI.

“Our officers and staff operate in an environment of exceptional personal risk, often under the shadow of paramilitary threat and with limited public anonymity.

“For many, the data breach represented not only a breach of privacy, but also an increased risk to their safety and that of their families.”

The PSNI has already accepted liability for the data breach, which occurred in August 2023, and talks over the settlement have been taking place for a year.

The incident involved the accidental release of some personal details of all 9,400 officers and staff.

Details of what could be offered to individuals have not been made public but the executive had requested help for covering costs of £119m.

The Chief Constable’s letter adds: “No reasonable contingency planning could predict exposure of a data set relating to an entire workforce.

“The Reserve Claim submitted to HM Treasury sought to ensure that appropriate financial recognition could be provided to those directly impacted, reflecting the seriousness of the incident and the anxiety and disruption it caused across the service.”

Mr Boutcher’s letter reflects what Stormont ministers have been saying about the costs of the compensation, which could potentially rise further the longer it takes to reach a conclusion.

On Wednesday, DUP leader Gavin Robinson raised the issue in Parliament with the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said he was in “regular contact” with the Chief Constable about funding matters.

The PSNI receives the majority of its funding from the Department of Justice (DoJ) out of the block grant.

There is a small additional contribution from the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) to deal with the national security threat and paramilitarism.

The PSNI currently has 6,200 officers and 2,200 staff.

In recent weeks, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) chair Liam Kelly called on Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn to “step in and sort out the chronic funding crisis” within policing.

There are also outstanding issues over legal costs related to resolving Troubles legacy cases.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Chancellor has delivered the Northern Ireland Executive its biggest financial settlement since 1998 – worth £19.3 billion a year.

“As operational policing is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive, they are responsible for compensating the police officers affected by this data breach.”