Norfolk and Suffolk police forces released personal data of more than 1,000 victims and witnesses of crime

A technical issue led to Norfolk and Suffolk’s police forces releasing personal details of more than 1,000 crime victims and witnesses.

Both constabularies, which share a Freedom of Information (FOI) department, identified a problem relating to what they deem a “very small percentage” of responses to requests for crime statistics between April 2021 and March 2022.

It led to some raw data being included within the files produced in response to the FOI requests in question. The data was hidden from anyone opening the files, but officers admit it should not have been included.

The data included personal and identifiable information on victims, witnesses, and suspects – as well as descriptions of offences. It related to a range of crimes, including domestic incidents, sexual offences, assaults, thefts and hate crime.

A total of 1,230 people have had their data breached, and police are starting the process of contacting them today after conducting a “full and thorough analysis” into the impacts this had.

This will be done via letter, phone and, in some cases, face to face depending on what information was impacted and what support is required. The Norfolk and Suffolk forces expect this process to be complete by the end of September.

Within the notification, people will be told what personal data specific to them has been impacted and details of who they can contact for support.

Eamonn Bridger, the temporary Assistant Chief Constable of Suffolk Police who led the investigation on behalf of both forces, said: “We would like to apologise that this incident occurred, and we sincerely regret any concern that it may have caused the people of Norfolk and Suffolk.

“I would like to reassure the public that procedures for handling FOI requests made to Norfolk and Suffolk constabularies are subject to continuous review to ensure that all data under the constabularies’ control is properly protected.”

A dedicated specialist team has been set up to handle any queries about this incident. It can be phoned on 01603 276647 or emailed at dataincident@suffolk.police.uk.

Officers say they have made “strenuous efforts” to determine if the data released has been accessed by anyone outside of policing.

A spokesperson said: “At this stage, we have found nothing to suggest that this is the case.”

If members of the public are not contacted by the constabularies, they do not need to take any action.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been notified and is being kept updated.