Woman wrongly linked to PSNI because of poster fears she has been targeted
An “outraged” woman who was falsely linked to the PSNI on a poster put up in Co Londonderry has said she believes she has been made the target of an attack.
In a statement released by her lawyer, the unnamed woman said she was not a police officer and had never been employed by the PSNI in any capacity.
Police have launched an investigation after the poster was placed at a bus stop in Dungiven on Thursday.
A PSNI statement on Friday said the poster contained details of “three serving officers”. However, a supplementary statement released a few hours later said the information on the poster was incorrect.
Police confirmed on Saturday that the woman had no current or historical links to the PSNI.
This is simply wrong and I am outraged that I may now be made the target of an imminent attack on my life
The poster was put up weeks after the details of around 10,000 officers and staff were mistakenly published online as part of a major PSNI data breach.
In a statement released by Madden and Finucane’s lawyers, the woman said: “My personal details were on the poster put up in Dungiven linking myself, my partner and two other named people to the PSNI.”
“I live in a small rural village and everyone in the area who has seen the poster thinks it refers to me, even though everyone knows I am not a police officer.
“I can state categorically that I am not a police officer and have never been employed by the police in any capacity.
“This is simply wrong and I am outraged that I may now be made the target of an imminent attack on my life.
“I am deeply upset and concerned about the situation and am disappointed that the PSNI has rejected my request to make a statement confirming that I am not a police officer.”
Lawyer Michael Madden said: “The PSNI initially stated that the people named in the poster were in the police force.
“My client has been identified as one of the people named in the poster, but she is not and never has been a serving civil servant.
“The PSNI has since issued a further statement confirming that the information on the poster is inaccurate, but does not specify which information is inaccurate.
“My client does not believe the recent PSNI statement goes far enough to allay her concerns about her safety.
“I have contacted the PSNI and hope to find a solution that protects the safety and welfare of our customer.”
A PSNI spokesman said: “We will not normally discuss the safety of individuals, but on this occasion I can confirm that the individual raising these concerns has no current or historical links with the police service.”
“This is one of several inaccuracies in the information contained in the poster.”
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said on Friday the incident in Dungiven was “a clear attempt to intimidate police officers, staff and their families”.
Last month, in response to a Freedom of Information request, details of officers and staff were released, including each employee’s last name and initial, their rank or grade, their location and the unit in which they work.
The PSNI has confirmed the list is in the hands of dissident republicans who continue to target civil servants.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/police-dungiven-madden-b1104425.html Woman wrongly linked to PSNI because of poster fears she has been targeted
