You could be entitled to pursue privacy compensation for police data breaches, leaks and hacks, and we may be able to represent you for a legal case on a No Win, No Fee basis.
At Your Lawyers, we are a leading firm of privacy compensation specialists, and you can talk to our team for free, no-obligation legal advice here now.
The police are not above the law
This may sound obvious, but it is important to remember that the police are not above the law. This is why any victim of an incident could still be eligible to use the law even where those responsible are serving police officers or employees.
As it happens, privacy compensation for police data breaches and leaks can often be some of the most severe types of cases that we pursue for people. The police will store and process a significant wealth of very personal and sensitive information, some of which could actually cause significant harm if the data was misused or exposed. In some of the worst cases, we could be talking about perpetrators learning the identities or addresses of victims or witnesses to alleged crimes, with real threats to their safety being an issue to consider.
The GDPR applies to all organisations, which includes the police service, and it means that they must store and process data safely and fairly. Information must only be used and accessed when there is a legitimate and legal purpose and reason to do so. Anything contrary to this could amount to a breach of the GDPR.
Pursuing privacy compensation for police data breaches and leaks
As we touched on above in respect of how serious a matter of this nature could be, it is important for victims to pursue privacy compensation for police data breaches, leaks and hacks because of how substantial the impact on the victim can be.
The GDPR can allow a victim to recover compensation for any distress that has been caused by the loss of control of their personal information. A data breach victim does not have to have lost any money or paid out any expenses and can simply claim for the distress alone which, in a claim of this nature, can be significant.
Our average data breach compensation settlement as of 2022 is just over £6,000 per claimant, which covers a broad range of cases, from the minor to severe. When it comes to privacy compensation for police matters, damages awards could be in the tens of thousands of pounds mark, depending on the nature of the impact that has been caused. Ultimately, when we assess distress, we are looking at the level of the impact that has been caused, which can be based on factors such as the nature of the information affected and what has subsequently happened.
Our expert team of privacy compensation specialists is on hand to speak to you for free, no-obligation legal advice here now.
Snooping: Police National Computer data breach cases
When it comes to a Police National Computer data breach, snooping incidents can be one of the more prevalent types of cases that we help people with. This is where officers or staff have accessed the Police National Computer database without any reason or authority to do so.
Commonly, it is employees looking at the information of people they know. This can constitute a breach of the GDPR, which is a serious matter that can even lead to prosecutions against individuals who commit such acts.