PSNI used journalists' phone data to detect leaks, report finds

A report by Angus McCullough KC found the PSNI used journalists' phone numbers to identify potential internal leaks, with 21 unlawful instances recorded between 2011 and 2024, though the practice was not widespread or systemic.

By Andrew McBride1 min read

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PSNI vehicle (note camera on top), Belfast, Northern Ireland, March 2015. File photograph. Picture: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland used journalists' phone numbers to investigate potential internal leaks of information. The practice occurred between 2011 and 2024, according to a 200-page report.

The report identified 21 unlawful uses of covert powers to access journalists' communications data. These instances involved eight journalists, including Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney.

The PSNI previously admitted to ten such attempts, but the report found double that number, all pre-2015. The practice was not described as widespread or systemic by the report's author.