The Police Service of Northern Ireland is offering £7,500 to each of the 9,483 officers and staff affected by a 2023 data breach that exposed their personal details online.
The Northern Ireland Executive allocated £119 million to settle claims after the force accidentally published a spreadsheet containing names, roles, and in some cases home addresses as part of a Freedom of Information response. The PSNI has admitted liability.
The impact was severe
Officers relocated families for safety. Mental health services were stretched. Some sought to change their names. Given Northern Ireland's history of sectarian violence targeting police, the exposure created genuine security risks.
Liam Kelly, chief of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said the universal offer represents "substantial and major progress" but acknowledged it won't suit everyone. Around 5,000 officers are represented by Edwards Solicitors alone.
Six test cases are proceeding in High Court to establish precedent on damages for officers who want more than the baseline settlement. The £119 million allocation suggests capacity for roughly 16,000 payouts at £7,500 each, leaving room for higher settlements or additional costs.
What this means
Payments are expected from April. Many officers will accept and move on. Others, particularly those who relocated or faced ongoing security concerns, will pursue higher compensation through the courts.
The UK's Information Commissioner previously signaled a six-figure fine for the breach. The total cost to the public purse will exceed £119 million when legal fees, remediation, and the ICO penalty are factored in.
For enterprise leaders: This illustrates the full lifecycle cost of a data protection failure. The breach took seconds. The cleanup took years. The financial exposure extends well beyond the initial incident, and reputational damage to a critical public institution continues. Access controls matter. So does testing your FOI response process.