Police data leak advice

No one is above the law, and that includes our police service. If a police data leak ever takes place, victims are entitled to justice in the same way as anyone else can be.

Given that the police handle a monumental wealth of personal and sensitive information, their duties to comply with important data protection legislation is important. Any leak, breach or hack could lead to information exposure which could have a serious impact on the victims, which is why it’s important for us to talk about this topic.

You can be entitled to make a claim for data leak compensation, and you’re safe doing so with us.

Victims rights after a police data leak

Victims of a police data leak incident can be entitled to make a claim for compensation for any distress, suffering and loss that’s caused from information being exposed or misused.

If the leak was preventable and occurred due to some form of negligence, you can be entitled to claim. Just because it’s a police employee at fault doesn’t mean that your rights are different. Like any other organisation, they have a duty to store and process data safely and securely.

If we think that there’s a case to answer, we can offer you our No Win, No Fee representation.

What can you claim for?

With most claims, you usually receive compensation for the fact that you may suffer distress as a result of the loss of control of your personal information. When it comes to a police data leak, the distress can be significant because of the nature of the data that they usually hold.

The information for victims of serious crimes is one example of where personal and sensitive data could be exposed. As part of investigating an alleged offence, the police will require statements and details about what has happened. In cases of serious crimes like sexual offences, this can include a great deal of very sensitive information.

Data leak compensation amounts are generally based on things like the nature and extent of the information that has been exposed, and to whom it has been exposed. Cases where particularly sensitive information has been leaked can lead to significant pay-outs, even though there’s no way to ever fully reverse what has happened.

Victims who have had any form of personal information exposed or misused can be entitled to claim.

Greater risks

In today’s digital age, the risks of a police data leak have perhaps never been greater. We now have remote working and more data accessible on phones, tablets and laptops via networks.

Human error remains one of the most common reasons for accidental data leaks, and an organisation’s defence is only as good as each of its parts. There was a recent story in the media about an officer who reportedly took some papers containing information about serious crimes home from court and left them in his house, and they were thrown into a recycling bin by a relative. The papers were found by a dog walker, which shows just how easy it is for sensitive information to be exposed.

There are avoidable risks, and data protection should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds; especially when we’re talking about data that could include very personal and sensitive information.

Don’t suffer in silence: if you have been the victim of a data breach of leak, speak to our expert team here for No Win, No Fee representation.

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