PSNI would come to a 'stop' if strike happens, claims union

Tracy Godfrey, from NIPSA, says civilian staff are "extremely disappointed" at developments

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) would be brought "to a complete stop" if 1,600 of its workers went on strike, the trade union NIPSA has claimed.

The union plans to ballot for action because they have not received compensation over the data breach in 2023, which saw personal details of the entire PSNI workforce published in error.

The NIPSA official at the PSNI, Tracy Godfrey, said if those members went on strike "we would probably have no comms for the police officers to contact each other on".

However PSNI Assistant Chief Constable, Melanie Jones said in the event of such action, she wanted to "reassure the public that the resources were in place to keep people safe".

"Planning is underway to mitigate any risk in critical functions in the event of staff absences as a result of any industrial action," she added.

The PSNI does not have the money to pay staff or officers damages, despite admitting liability and a Stormont request for £120m from the Treasury has been turned down.

"The call handlers, dispatchers, wouldn't be there to answer any of the phone calls. Custody units would have to close down," said Ms Godfrey.

"All our CSIs, photographers, mappers, all that would just stop."

"I don't think the Treasury has realised the impact that this will have on Northern Ireland.

"They need to pay up," Ms Godfrey said, adding: "The data breach had a huge impact on police officers and police staff".

'Temperature check'

The PSNI does not have the money to pay staff or officers damages, despite admitting liability

The High Court in Belfast is currently hearing a number of test cases which is likely to determine the level of damages those impacted can expect.

Ms Godfrey, said civilian staff are "extremely disappointed" at developments.

She said the union contacted members by email to "temperature check" the mood, and the vast majority indicated a willingness to take action.

She added: "With this clear endorsement, the next step will be to initiate a strike ballot involving PSNI NIPSA members."

The PSNI has been contacted for comment.

'Regrettable'

Meanwhile, Stormont's Finance Minister John O'Dowd said he has asked the first and deputy first ministers to write to the prime minister urging him to reconsider their request for help from the Treasury.

O'Dowd told the assembly it was "regrettable" that his bid had been rejected.

Asked if a solution could be found before the end of the current financial year, he said his officials were continuing to discuss how they could "deliver our commitments in regards to this".