There is a particular level of threat to being a police officer in Northern Ireland. We know that, and we accept it. But on Tuesday, my colleagues received unnerving news that could only heighten the anxiety we carry with us day to day.
Our surname and initials, as well as our place of work, were released into the public domain in a data breach that disclosed the details of 10,000 police officers and staff. The ongoing terrorist threat in Northern Ireland made the news hard to swallow. There are still some officers of different communities who do not divulge what they do for a living, even to their friends or loved ones, in order to protect themselves and those around them. The fear among my colleagues has been palpable.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has tried to communicate as much as it can, but there is still a lack of information about the extent of the breach and who might have got their hands on it. That unknown is causing a lot of anxiety among my colleagues. At any police service it would have been a concern, but because of the unique environment in Northern Ireland it feels even more shocking.
The terrorist threat level is at “severe” in Northern Ireland, as a result of a colleague of mine, John Caldwell, being shot while off-duty by four masked men. It’s not surprising that police officers are even wary about hanging their uniforms on the washing line in case of being identified. Worried parents also try to dissuade their children from joining the force because of the danger.
The threat always feels there and very real. It was only in 2009 that a constable, Stephen Carroll, was murdered, and 2011 that another constable, Ronan Kerr, was killed by a booby trap under his car.
Even now, I can sense the anxiety from my colleagues. It’s a little different for me as it is something I have had to get used to: I kind of accepted the level of risk that comes from being in the public domain when I took up my role as president of the National Black Police Association. Safety is something that’s always at the forefront of my mind and my family’s mind because of that. But to those who have felt forced to conceal their occupation, there will be a feeling of being let down by this breach and potentially exposed.
As it stands, everybody in the PSNI takes their weapon home for protection due to the threat of being attacked on and off duty. We check under our cars for bombs every morning, and there have even been under-car booby trap devices found in the past two or three years. The political atmosphere has definitely made us more wary: there have been increased tensions as a result of the Northern Ireland protocol and the exit from the European Union.
Most officers are concerned with ensuring their families are safe, and since the breach, I have heard of officers moving to a relative’s house as a precaution. I don’t know anyone personally who has yet made the decision to leave the force, but I have no doubt it will have an impact on officers making that decision. It will certainly slow down the number of those coming into it in the next recruitment process.
We need to know what happened. As a member of the Police Federation, I would fully back it in its decision to take legal action once the PSNI’s own investigation has concluded. Most of all, we need to make sure that something like this can never happen again. The potential consequences of a breach like this are too dire to contemplate, but here we are, having to do just that.
Andrew George is a chief inspector in the PSNI and president of the National Black Police Federation
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