Compensation Paid to PSNI Personnel After Data Breach
Almost £40 million has been paid in compensation to over 5,000 police officers and civilian staff affected by a 2023 data breach, according to a Belfast-based law firm.
Edwards Solicitors reported that each individual received £7,500 following their acceptance of the "universal offer" extended by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The law firm also noted that "several hundred claims remain ongoing for those who chose not to accept the universal offer".
The breach involved the accidental release of some personal details of all 9,400 PSNI personnel.
Legal Action Described as 'Unprecedented'
In December, Stormont ministers agreed to allocate £119 million to compensate police officers and civilian staff impacted by the breach.
Rachel Powderly from Edwards Solicitors characterized the legal action as "massive and unprecedented".
"We dealt with more than 5,000 clients in this action and reaching a resolution to the satisfaction of our clients was and is our sole priority," she said.
"The case was groundbreaking and we are not aware of any previous group action of this nature and magnitude in Northern Ireland, or indeed the UK."
Powderly further explained that managing the claims individually was "neither realistic nor practical", adding that such an approach would have extended the process for years with "no guarantee of outcomes".
