Shocked wife of Northern Ireland police officer says they are ‘living in fear’ after data breach
The wife of a serving Northern Ireland police officer has told Sky News they are living in fear after a huge data breach compromised his details.
She said she and her husband already both check under their cars every morning “in case of any suspicious devices” and varied their routes to work.
In an interview with Sky’s senior Ireland correspondent David Blevins, the woman said she found out Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had inadvertently published the information online in a text message from her husband on Tuesday afternoon.
Read more: Why the Northern Ireland police data breach is so serious
The UK Information Commissioner’s office said on Tuesday it was investigating the breach while “working with the PSNI to establish the level of risk and mitigations”.
“It’s just total disbelief to be honest that something like this can happen,” the officer’s wife said.
“I was so shocked at what I was hearing and reading and quite frankly really, really angry that this has been allowed to happen.
“And I think PSNI is entirely responsible and somebody needs to be held to account for what’s happened here.
“Ultimately, in my opinion they have failed in their duty of care in relation to keeping their employees safe.
“It would be bad enough if it was a small amount of people but given the fact it’s the entire workforce of every officer and every member of police staff it’s just totally unacceptable.”
PSNI officers have been targeted by paramilitary groups
The breach, published online for up to three hours in response to a Freedom of Information request, involved the surname, initials, the rank or grade, the work location and departments of all PSNI staff, but did not involve the officers’ and civilians’ private addresses.
Data breach plays into hands of those who deem officers of the crown legitimate targets
It would be difficult to exaggerate the scale of what the Police Federation is calling a “monumental” data breach.
Northern Ireland is the one part of the UK where the terror threat level has been raised from substantial to severe, meaning attacks are highly likely.
That threat comes from dissident Irish republicans, the self-styled New IRA in particular, a conglomerate of breakaway factions still pursuing Irish unity by violent means.
The release of the names and ranks of an estimated 10,000 serving police officers and civilian staff plays right into the hands of those who deem officers of the crown legitimate targets.
Earlier this year, the New IRA claimed responsibility for a gun attack on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh – he was shot and seriously injured.
Police officers I’ve spoken to say they’re required to implement rigorous data protection protocols and are furious their own data has been breached.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne is under pressure to cut short his holiday and return to Northern Ireland.
Given that the security of his officers and their families should be his top priority, he would be wise to do so.
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Speaking under the condition of anonymity, the officer’s wife said they do not talk about what her husband does for a living outside the family or their immediate circle of trust – and they will now have change the way they live even further.
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Why the NI police data breach matters
“We will have to be extra vigilant going forward,” she said.
“Although our personal addresses haven’t been included in this breach, we already have to be careful about having that connection with the PSNI and because of that information now being in the public domain we have no control over who knows.
“We also have two young children to protect and there are still people out there who deem police officers and their families as legitimate targets so it just adds that further element of fear to our daily life.”
PSNI officers face a unique terror threat within the UK and have been targeted by republican paramilitaries in recent years. In March the terror threat level in Northern Ireland was raised to severe.
When asked: “So you’re living in fear?” she replied: “Effectively, yes we are.”
A spokesperson for the UK Commissioner’s office said: “We recognise the potential impact on the people and families affected by this breach, and we expect appropriate action to be taken by the Police Service of Northern Ireland as a matter of urgency.
“The incident demonstrates just how important it is to have robust measures in place to protect personal information, especially in a sensitive environment.
“The ICO works to support organisations to get this right so people can feel confident that their information is secure, and harms can be prevented.
The UK is ready to fight a war, the head of the armed forces has insisted, after the defence secretary recently suggested the military is not prepared for a conflict.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin also stressed the importance of continuing to back Ukraine when asked about the potential impact of the re-election of Donald Trump on Russia’s war.
He said more than 1,500 Russian troops had been killed or injured in the warzone every day during October. That equates to more than 46,000 people – equivalent to more than half of the British Army.
The Chief of the Defence Staff used the Russian casualty figure to underline the cost to Vladimir Putin of his invasion, but analysts say the Kremlin has proven itself more than capable of absorbing high attrition rates without changing its war aims.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin 2023. Pic: Andrew Milligan/Pool via AP
Admiral Radakin was speaking in an interview on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips to mark Remembrance Sunday.
Asked if the UK could fight a war at scale, he said: “Absolutely. So our servicemen and women will always be ready to serve their nation and to do as the government of the day directs us to do.”
Last month, however, John Healey, the new Labour defence secretary, told a Politico podcast that the armed forces were not ready to fight after being hollowed out and under-funded during 14 years of Conservative rule.
In reality, the hollowing out and under-funding also took place under the previous Labour government.
John Healey joined serving military personnel to hand out poppies at Victoria Station in October. Pic: PA
Pressed by Trevor Phillips on whether the army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had the capabilities to fight a war, Admiral Radakin said: “We do have the capabilities. And then the reassurance is that we do that alongside our allies.
“And for those biggest fights, then we will always do them with our allies.”
He conceded, though, that the UK needs to be “even stronger in the future”.
Admiral Radakin added: “Some of that is about having deeper stockpiles. Some of that is being better at bringing technology and learning the lessons from Ukraine… And some of that is also recognising that you need to have a defence industry that can better support those demands.
“We’re in a more dangerous world.”
Ukrainian troops continue to fight Russia’s invasion. Pic: King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade/Reuters
Russian airstrikes are still targeting Ukrainian cities. Pic: Reuters
The top commander repeatedly stressed the importance of being part of NATO to be able to counter the biggest threats faced by the UK.
But the re-election of Donald Trump to the White House has raised new concerns about US support for the transatlantic alliance. The United States is by far its most powerful member.
Pic: AP
The president-elect threatened to quit NATO when he was US commander-in-chief the first time around, and he has repeatedly berated member states that do not meet a minimum spending commitment of 2% of national income.
Mr Trump is also expected to take a different approach to the war in Ukraine to Joe Biden, saying he will end the fighting – but without yet explaining how.
Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire at Russian positions from a US-supplied M777 howitzer in Kharkiv region. File pic: AP
The aftermath of a Russian strike on Ukraine. Pic: AP
Trevor Phillips asked Admiral Radakin how confident he was that the United States would continue to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine.
The defence chief declined to speculate on potential US policy so soon after the election.
Instead, he said: “What you’re seeing is a Russia that is making tactical gains and is seizing more territory, but is doing that at enormous cost, enormous cost in terms of its soldiers – over 1,500 people a day are either killed or wounded in October.”
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Admiral Radakin also pointed out how the war prompted NATO to grow, with Finland and Sweden joining.
“At the strategic level, Russia is losing,” he said.
“Russia wanted to subjugate Ukraine. It’s never going to subjugate Ukraine.
“And that’s what we should be really clear about – that we continue our support for President Zelenskyy and his people in their existential fight.”
The UK could be spared the impact of Donald Trump’s proposed trade tariff increases on foreign imports, a US governor has told Sky News.
In the aftermath of the Republican candidate’s decisive election win over Kamala Harris this week, attention is turning to what the former president will do on his return to the White House.
Mr Trump has said he wants to raise tariffs – taxes on imported products – on goods from around the world by 10%, rising to 60% on goods from China, as part of his plan to protect US industries.
But there are fears in foreign capitals about what this could do to their economies. Goldman Sachs has downgraded its forecast for the UK’s economic growth next year from 1.6% to 1.4%, while EU officials are anticipating a reduction in exports to the US of €150bn (£125bn).
Donald Trump says he wants to impose tariffs on foreign goods
However, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy – a Democrat – says he believes Mr Trump may consider not including the UK in the tariff plans.
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the governor said he cannot speak for the president-elect but he has a “good relationship” with him.
His gut feeling is that Mr Trump will not impose tariffs on goods from allies like the UK. “But if I’m China, I’m fastening my seatbelt right now,” he said.
Mr Murphy said that Mr Trump may look favourably at the UK after its departure from the European Union.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
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The president-elect is considering offering the UK a special deal that would exempt British exports from billions of pounds of tariffs, according to The Telegraph.
“Donald Trump (has) some sympathy with the renegade who has courage,” Mr Murphy continued. “I think there’s some of that. I think that’s a card that can be played. We’ll see.”
Asked about whether UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer can build a rapport with the incoming president, Mr Murphy said: “I’ve been able to find common ground with President Trump, and I’m a proud progressive, although I’m a cold-blooded capitalist, which is probably the part of me that President Trump resonates with.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she is “confident” trade flows with the United States will continue despite the tariff proposal.
Will Brexit help UK in Trump trade talks?
Could Brexit help Sir Keir Starmer and the UK government in trade negotiations with President Trump – who calls himself “tariff man” – and the US?
The suggestion – ironic, given the PM’s hostility to Brexit and his pledge for a “reset” with the EU – has been made by a Trump ally and confidant, albeit a leading Democrat.
The claim comes from Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, in an interview for Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News.
Murphy says he has a good relationship with Trump, who has a palatial home he calls the Summer White House, a 500-acre estate and a golf club at Bedminster, New Jersey, just 45 minutes from Trump Tower in New York.
He says his “gut feeling” is that Trump has sympathy with the UK for having the courage to pull out of the EU, “this big bureaucratic blob” and “that’s a card that can be played” by the UK in trade talks.
Really? As Trevor politely pointed out, that might benefit the UK if the prime minister was Nigel Farage rather than Sir Keir.
Mr Farage, however, speaking at a Reform UK regional conference in Exeter, described Trump as a “pro-British American president” who’d give the UK “potentially huge opportunities”.
But there’s one problem, according to the Reform UK leader. Favours from Trump will only come, he claims, “if we can overcome the difficulties that the whole of the cabinet have been rude about him”.
You can watch the full interview with Governor Phil Murphy as well as other guests on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips from 8.30am.
Seventeen people have been taken to hospital after a crash involving two double-decker buses in Manchester.
It happened near the junction of Rochdale Road and Livesey Street, on the edge of the city centre, at 8.34am.
Nine ambulances, an air ambulance, two response vehicles and an advanced paramedic were sent to the scene.
Pic: X / @patkarney
An air ambulance was dispatched. Pic: X/ patkarney
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Manchester double-decker buses crash
North West Ambulance Service said 17 injured people were taken to hospitals around Manchester but no one was seriously hurt.
Pictures show the front of one bus badly mangled and the glass smashed.
A witness told the Manchester Evening News the two buses collided, with one going through a metal fence.
The paper said passengers climbed out of the wreckage but one person had to be rescued from the upper deck by fire crews.
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Stephen Rhodes, Transport for Greater Manchester’s bus director, wished injured passengers a “speedy recovery” and said it involved two Bee Network buses.
Rochdale Road has now reopened but officials said there could be lingering delays.
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