The Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Senior Information Risk Owner, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said: "Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the theft of documents, including a spreadsheet containing the names of over 200 serving officers and staff.

"The documents, along with a police issue laptop and radio, were believed to have been stolen from a private vehicle in the Newtownabbey area on 6 July.  We have contacted the officers and staff concerned to make them aware of the incident and an initial notification has been made to the office of the Information Commissioner regarding the data breach.

“This is an issue we take extremely seriously and as our investigation continues we will keep the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Information Commissioner’s Office updated.”