Bedfordshire Police Data Breach – Can I Claim?
In this guide, we will look at how a Bedfordshire Police data breach might occur. We will also look at the steps you could take if a police data breach has caused you harm.
The guide below answers some common questions we’re asked, including:
- What is considered a data breach?
- How can the police breach data protection laws?
- What compensation for a breach could I receive?
- Could I make a No Win No Fee claim?
Bedfordshire police data breach claims guide
We also offer some insight into breach of data protection statistics in the Justice sector and provide you with examples of cases of police data protection breaches. Further to this, we provide guidance on reporting a data breach to the police. In addition to this, we look at how you could fund the work of a solicitor using a No Win No fee agreement.
If you would like our assistance with beginning data breach claims, please get in touch. You can:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Fill out our contact form
- Use the live chat at the bottom right of this screen
Select a Section
- What Is A Bedfordshire Police Data Breach?
- How Could A Police Force Breach Data Protection Law?
- Bedfordshire Police Data Breach Statistics
- What Could I Do Affected By A Police Data Breach?
- Calculating Damages For A Data Breach Under GDPR
- Work With A No Win No Fee Data Protection Breach Solicitor
- Get Advice Following A Bedfordshire Police Data Breach
What Is A Bedfordshire Police Data Breach?
You may have given the police some of your personal data for a wide range of different reasons. Any organisation or entity that decides how data is processed and why is a data controller.
Personal data is classed as any information, stored either digitally or physically, that can be used to identify someone. As well as information that can be used alone to identify a person, personal data can also be information that can be used to identify someone when combined with other information.
There are laws in place to protect personal data. The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) is a piece of EU legislation that outlines how organisations should act to protect personal data. The Data Protection Act 2018 ratified this into UK law.
Since the UK has left the EU, the DPA has been updated. Now, this legislation sits alongside the UK GDPR– this is the legislation that we refer to now in relation to data protection in the UK. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the independent authority in the UK that upholds the information rights of the public.
The ICO define a data breach is a data security breach that results in unlawful or unauthorised access to or unauthorised closure of, disclosure, transmission, alteration, deletion, theft or loss of personal data. If a data breach causes you harm, you could be entitled to claim data breach compensation.
When could I claim compensation for a data breach under the GDPR?
You may be wondering what circumstances would need to apply for you to claim after a potential Bedfordshire Police data breach. In order to claim, you must have experienced harm as a result of the breach. You can claim for financial harm as well as emotional harm, such as stress or post-traumatic stress disorder.
You can also only claim compensation for a breach that was caused by the positive wrongful conduct of the organisation responsible for your data. If, for example, a police force did everything they could to prevent a breach from happening and one occurred anyway, you’d be unlikely to be able to launch a claim.
How Could A Police Force Breach Data Protection Law?
Police breaches of the DPA could happen in a number of different ways. While you may assume that data breaches only result from cyber security issues, human error incidents could also lead to cases of police data protection breaches.
Examples could include:
- An email containing personal data being sent to someone who doesn’t have the authorisation to view it.
- Someone failing to use BCC in an email, leading to the exposure of an email address to unauthorised parties
- Files containing personal data being left in a general waste bin instead of being disposed of securely
- A letter containing personal data being sent to your old address despite the fact that you’ve updated them with your current address
If you have proof that you have suffered financially or emotionally due to a Bedfordshire Police data breach, we could help you. We could also provide you with a data breach solicitor who may be able to represent you on a No Win No Fee basis.
Bedfordshire Police Data Breach Statistics
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published statistics relating to security incidents that have been reported to them. It found that in the Justice Sector, there were 40 incidents reported in the second quarter of 2021/22, which runs from 01/07/2021-30/09/2021.
Of these, there were 38 non-cyber incidents reported. The remaining two instances relate to cybersecurity.
The most common specified cause of security incidents in the justice sector in this period was the loss or theft of paperwork or data that was left in an unsecured location, with 10 occurrences. There were also 13 instances where the nature of the incident has not been included in the statistics.
Read on for more information on what steps you could take if a Bedfordshire Police data breach were to occur. You can also get in touch with our team of advisors today for free legal advice.
What Could I Do Affected By A Police Data Breach?
If a data breach occurs and the data controller becomes aware of it, they should inform the ICO of the incident within 48 hours. They should tell the individuals affected by the breach without undue delay.
If you become aware of a breach or are concerned with the way your data is being used, then you can approach the police department directly about this. The ICO have a template that you can use to address your concerns.
The organisation may offer you some form of compensation directly. You’re free to accept this if you wish; however, if you do, you cannot then go on to claim compensation from them as well.
If you aren’t happy with the response you receive from the police department, you could contact the ICO and report your concerns. You should do this within three months of the last meaningful communication between you and the organisation. If you wait any longer, then they may not investigate.
You could then ask the ICO to investigate. However, the ICO cannot award you compensation; they can only fine the organisation responsible. Compensation would need to come from the organisation directly. A data breach solicitor could help you get the outcome you deserve.
Read on for more information on how much you could receive if a Bedfordshire Police data breach were to occur. You can also get in touch with our team today for more information on the process of claiming.
Calculating Damages For A Data Breach Under GDPR
If you are wondering how much compensation for a data breach under the GDPR you could claim, we can help you. When you make a claim for harm caused by a data breach, your compensation could consist of two heads of claim:
- Material damages – this part of the settlement can compensate for monetary costs associated with the data breach. This could include compensation for money that somebody steals from you if a bank data breach meant that your money was stolen.
- Non-material damages- these could be described as the non-financial damages that you sustain due to a police data breach. They could include payouts for stress, anxiety and other psychological injuries that the breach causes you to experience.
The Judicial College Guidelines is a publication that is often used to help value personal injury claims. However, it can also be used to value the non-material damages head of a data breach claim. We’ve included an excerpt from these guidelines below.
| Mental damage | Approx Compensation Bracket | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| General psychological injuries | £51,460 to £108,620 | Severe |
| Post-traumatic stress | £56,180 to £94,470 | Severe |
| Post-traumatic stress | £21,730 to £56,180 | Moderate severity |
| General psychological injuries | £17,900 to £51,460 | Moderate severity |
| General psychological injuries | £5,500 to £17,900 | Moderate |
| Post-traumatic stress | £7,680 to £21,730 | Moderate |
| General psychological injuries | £1,440 to £5,500 | Less severe |
| Post-traumatic stress | £3,710 to £7,680 | Less severe |
A data breach solicitor isn’t a legal requirement but could make the claims process easier than it otherwise would be. Read on to find out how you could fund legal representation with a No Win No Fee agreement.
Work With A No Win No Fee Data Protection Breach Solicitor
A No Win No Fee agreement is an agreement by which you won’t be asked to pay legal fees unless your claim is a success. You won’t be asked to pay anything upfront, while it’s ongoing or in the event that you aren’t awarded compensation.
You would only pay a small, legally capped success fee if your claim is successful. This fee is legally capped, meaning you will always receive the majority of the compensation awarded to you.
Because of these conditions, a solicitor will usually only offer this kind of agreement if your claim has a good chance of success. They will check:
- Whether a breach happened
- If the breach was caused by positive wrongful conduct on the part of someone who was responsible for keeping your data safe
- Whether you were caused harm by the breach
- That you’re within the time limit for claiming- 6 years for most data breaches, and 1 year where the claim is against a public body.
We would be happy to offer you an eligibility check on your data breach claim. We can also offer you advice on how you could spot if a Bedfordshire Police data breach were to occur. Please do not hesitate to find out more by calling our team.
Get Advice Following A Bedfordshire Police Data Breach
Are you ready to benefit from support and advice from our expert team of advisors? Maybe you still have questions about claiming if a Bedfordshire Police data breach were to occur? Our team are here to help you.
You can reach us in a number of ways, including:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Using the live chat feature on this page
- Completing the contact form
Useful Links Relating To A Potential Bedfordshire Police Data Breach
Council Data Breach Claims– This guide will explain how you can claim against the council if they are responsible for a breach that causes you harm
Employer Data Breach– Information on employee data breach claims against their employers can be found here.
Hotel Data Breach Claims– Has a hotel exposed your personal data, causing you harm? Read our guide for information on claiming.
Cyber Security Breaches Survey- This government survey provides information about the nature and extent of security incidents involving personal data.
Steps To Take After A Data Breach – Here, the ICO provides information on what to do after a data breach.
Seven Key Principles– Read the ICO’s key principles that should lie at the heart of data security.
Other Useful Compensation Guides
- Can I Claim Compensation For A Passport Data Breach?
- Travelodge Data Breach Compensation Claims
- BT Data Breach Compensation Claims
- Hertfordshire Constabulary Data Breach
- Virgin Mobile Data Breach Compensation Claims
- Royal Bank Of Scotland Data Breach Compensation Claims
- University Of Newcastle Data Breach Compensation Claims
- Experian Data Breach Compensation Claims
- Anglia Ruskin University Data Breach
- British Transport Police Data Breach
- Human Error Data Breach Claims
Thank you for reading our guide on the steps you could take if a Bedfordshire Police data breach were to occur.
Written by Jeffries
Edited by Stocks
