Simon Byrne

The PSNI should not be left leaderless while a massive data breach is investigated, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

The data, which was mistakenly released, included the surnames and first initials of 10,000 Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) employees.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne said The Information was now in The Hands of dissident republicans.

Former vice chair of the SDLP Tom Kelly has called on him to resign.

However, Sir Jeffrey that the PSNI should not be left leaderless.

" We need to find out very quickly how this happened And Then secondly there is the question of accountability, " He Said .

" But I don't want to leave the PSNI leaderless at this stage, I think it is important he oversees this stage of The Process .

" That leadership is necessary to ensure stability within the PSNI and that the actions that are necessary to be taken are taken.

" Then I think the Policing Board need to look at the whole question of accountability. "

The Information released in the data breach includes the rank or grade of staff, where they are based and The Unit in which they work.

Mr Byrne said The Information could be used to " intimidate or target officers and staff".

In March, The Terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland was raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

That followed an attack on a senior officer.

Earlier, former NI Policing Board member John Kelly told The Bbc that the " buck stops at The Top of any organisation".

" The Argument that it was caused by Human Error is bunkum, in reality the Human Error factor in this exposed the weaknesses within the cyber security aspects of how the PSNI stores information, " He Said .

" I think he should have stood down within A Day or two.

" He is ultimately responsible for this, there are serious questions to be asked because the safety of his officers are At Stake . "

However, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said that as there was no Northern Ireland Assembly, no replacement chief constable could be appointed if Mr Byrne resigned.

" I believe in due process and I think that there needs to be a very robust investigation into how This Was possible, " She Said .

" This is an unprecedented breach and I think exposes a systemic failure in terms of data protection within the PSNI.

" However I tend not to jump to knee-jerk reactions when It Comes to demanding people's resignations. "

On Monday Mr Byrne said that the PSNI were " working round The Clock to assess and mitigate" The Risk to officers.

He Said dissident republican paramilitaries could use The List of names to generate " fear and uncertainty".

Details released in what Mr Byrne earlier called a breach of " industrial scale" included names of people who work in sensitive areas such as surveillance and intelligence.

Liam Kelly , The Chairman of The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI), The Body that represents police officers, urged all police officers and staff to exercise " maximum vigilance".

Mr Byrne said the safety and welfare of officers and staff was his top priority and said an online service had been Set Up to deal with any staff concerns.

Contrary to some reports, there was no evidence of movement of officers and staff outside the organisation and he paid tribute to the " resilience" of staff, he added.

NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the UK government remained committed to providing specialist support and expertise.

" I know that PSNI and security partners will continue to take proportionate action to protect officers and staff and their families, " he added.

Earlier on Monday, police said they were investigating an incident, allegedly showing information released in The Breach .

Names were redacted from the document, which was found near a Sinn Féin office alongside a photo of The Party 's policing spokesperson, Gerry Kelly .

There was also a threatening message which read: " Gerry we know who your mates are. "

Source of news: bbc.com