The Accidental

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By Julian O'Neill, Matt Fox & Ali GordonBBC News NI

Police officers and staff in Northern Ireland have been given updated security advice after The Accidental publication of personal details on The Internet .

In response to a freedom of information (FoI) request, The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) shared names of all officers and staff, where they were based and their roles.

The Details of about 10,000 people were published online.

They were removed a few hours later.

In The Past , heightened security advice has included checking vehicles for under-car explosive devices and frequently changing routes taken to and from home.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd Said the release of The Information was being treated as a Critical Incident and that an emergency threat assessment group had been established.

The Information released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and The Unit they work in, including sensitive areas such as surveillance and intelligence.

" This is an extremely serious situation, " he added.

" We fully understand the very real concerns being felt by our colleagues and their families and We Are working hard to do everything we can to mitigate any risk.

" We Are working with our security partners and organisations to investigate this incident. "

It has also emerged that the PSNI is investigating a second data breach.

Police Said documents, a police issue laptop and a radio were believed to have been stolen from a private vehicle In July .

One of the documents stolen was a spreadsheet containing The Names of 200 serving officers and staff. Those officers have been contacted.

More Than 300 police officers were murdered in Northern Ireland during the 30 years of violence known as The Troubles and officers and staff remain under threat from republican paramilitaries.

The Most recent attack was when, County Tyrone .

A serving police constable has told The Bbc that The Accidental publication of personal details brought home the fears His Family have about his safety.

The Constable - who The Bbc is not naming for security Reasons - Said many of his colleagues went to great lengths to protect their identities and would be worried.

" Since joining The Service I have moved house and spent a considerable amount of money making sure it is secure and to give me and my loved ones peace of mind, " He Said .

" I have chosen to do this job and over time have become accustomed to the risks, but what this breach has done is highlight The Fear and concern that My Family have about me doing this job. "

The Threat to officers means they must be extremely vigilant about their security.

Many, especially from nationalist communities, keep their employment secret, in some cases even from many Family Members .

One Police Officer has not been able to eat a meal at their mother's home for 10 Years due to the security risk, according to Mike Nesbitt from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

Mr Nesbitt, who sits on the Policing Board, which oversees the PSNI, Said the biggest threat came from dissident republicans who opposed The Peace process and wanted to destabilise the PSNI.

" What they are focused on is discouraging members of The Nationalist community from joining the PSNI either as officers or as police staff, " the UUP assembly member explained.

" And over recent years I would say the majority of attacks on police officers have been targeted at Catholics from The Nationalist community, "

He cited the murder Con Ronan Kerr in 2011 and the attempted murder of Peadar Heffron in 2010 as examples of attacks which specifically targeted officers from a Catholic background.

'Safety is engrained into you'

Another serving officer told The Bbc that she and her partner, who is also in The Police , have spoken about when to tell their children about their jobs.

" These are the kinds of conversations you still have to think about, it's mad, in This Day and age, " she added.

" We have neighbours who don't know what we do and when we got a childminder we didn't tell her for ages what it was we did.

" Yes, we wear our name badges when out and about on The Job , but we don't wear it At Home or travelling.

" Most police officers are so conscious of their safety they don't just go shouting their profession about The Place - it's engrained into you from the start. "

Threat faced by police

During The Troubles , 302 police officers were killed.

They currently face a threat from dissident republican groups who oppose the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement and remain committed to using violence to try to bring about a united Ireland.

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

Much of The Information in The Breach is already in the Public Domain .

For example, uniformed officers wear badges with their names and ranks when on duty.

'Dismay, shock and anger'

A former Northern Ireland Justice Minister Said officers were frightened and their families and friends could be " jeopardised" by The Breach .

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long Said some officers would consider their futures with The Force and that the PSNI had a duty of care to ensure measures were put in place to offer officers proper guidance and additional security measures if necessary.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland called for an urgent inquiry.

Its chairman Liam Kelly told The Bbc that his overriding emotions were of " dismay, shock and anger".

" The Men and women I represent are appalled that this has happened and they're justifiably angry, " He Said .

" The Trust from our officers is broken by this. "

Mr Kelly added it was fortunate the PSNI spreadsheet had not given home addresses, saying that would have been a " potentially calamitous situation".

'A monumental error'

Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill Said The Breach was very worrying and that she hoped accountability would be achieved at the Policing Board meeting.

She Said her thoughts were with officers, staff and their families.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson described the leak as a matter of grave concern.

He Said it was too early to be considering The Chief constable's position but that he wanted a robust response from the PSNI's senior leadership team.

The Social Democratic and Labour Party 's Matthew O'Toole Said The Breach was shocking and that the PSNI leadership faced grave questions.

" There are serving police officers and their families in Northern Ireland who will be nervous and anxious now and I Am sure they feel completely let down by their employers, " He Said .

Source of news: bbc.com