NARPO – The voice of retired police officers
NARPO – The voice of retired police officers

Please see the below from PFEW-

At approximately 2.45pm on 21 March 2019, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) was subjected to a multi-pronged, sustained cyber-attack.

This was following an initial attack on PFEW systems on 9 March.

Early indications show that the attack was different from the first and has affected the wider Federation network, including the majority of local Federation Branch Boards.

We understand that officers and retired officers may be worried about data the Federation holds on them. At this stage there is no evidence that any data was extracted from our systems, and the chances of this having happened is extremely low, although this cannot be discounted.

We are continuing to work as hard as we can with the NCA and cyber-crime experts to establish full facts and stabilise the situation.

The NPCC has coordinated the development of a risk management plan. This is in conjunction with the NCA and the NCSC. Out of precaution we are suggesting that any officers who work or previously worked in the following categories, if they have not been contacted already, to contact their force for a risk assessment to be carried out: Counter Terrorism officers, Undercover Police Officers, officers who have been involved in police shootings and CHIS handlers past and present.

A dedicated helpline has been set up to answer any concerns you may have – 0800 358 0714 – this is open 8am- 6pm Monday to Friday. It is manned by specialist call handlers with experience in cyber-attacks.

As per the first attack, a number of our databases and systems were affected and we immediately locked down our network in liaison with experts from BAE systems to prevent further spread. As a result, the polfed website and email services are currently unavailable. The initial advice website advice.polfed.org is also unavailable.

If you are a retired officer, we will require your name, force and collar number (if possible) for verification purposes and to help with our enquiries.

We are liaising with the National Association for Retired Police Officers (NARPO) who are assisting with communications and support to retired officers.

Your details will NOT have been on our National Member Database as this only contains details of present members.

What will happen with your personal data?

As this stage there is no indication that any data has been extracted from the Federation’s systems. If that is the case, there is unlikely to be any consequences for you other than access to your data being affected.

We are working hard to restore all of our data.  This is a complex process that will take time and will be done by the most secure means possible, working with leading professionals in the field of cyber security.

Claims Management Database
We only hold data for 6 years after a claim is closed.  With that in mind and if it is likely that we will still hold information on you, we ask for some additional time to establish the facts once we can again access our claims management database.  At this stage we cannot confirm when that is likely to be – this is complex process involving forensic investigators and data needs to be restored by the most secure means possible.

If we have dealt with a civil or criminal claim on your behalf we can liaise with the respective solicitor to confirm more detail if you cannot wait until then, or if our own systems can be restored.

Please find attached FAQ’s to answer any further concerns you may have.