Policing Board laptop
October 8, 2025
•[ data leak, stolen hardware ]
A laptop belonging to a staff member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board was stolen from a Belfast city centre pub on October 8, 2025, prompting a data-breach report and a Police Service of Northern Ireland investigation. The rucksack containing the laptop was taken between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.; a suspect was arrested and charged shortly afterwards. The board says the laptop was immediately decommissioned remotely by IT Assist, other items from the bag were recovered, and there is no identified or residual risk arising from data on the device, but the incident has drawn scrutiny because of previous PSNI data breaches.