Former Special Branch officer Jim Gamble: I had to move three times because my security was compromised, but this data breach is an own goal

Jim Gamble also said that those responsible for the data breach need to face the same consequences that rank and file officers would face if they failed in their duties.

Speaking to Talkback on BBC Radio Ulster, the former deputy director of the National Crime Squad in London, said that although he had been critical of Chief Constable Simon Byrne in the past, he should not be the sole focus as the data breach continues to make headlines.

He said: “There will be senior officers at director, ACC level, whether they're civilian or police officers who will have specific responsibility to ensure that there's proper practice and a framework applied so that an individual piece of human error is caught by this system in the framework.

"It's easy to isolate Simon, at times in the past there's been missteps and I have been a critic but I think it would be unfair to do that in isolation here.”

He continued: “If I was currently serving I'd be looking at what’s happens to rank and file officers when something goes wrong – there's a consequence. Sometimes there's preemptive steps taken to suspend or remove officers while investigations are ongoing.

"I think the irony for many will be at this stage there is no public indication that initial steps have been taken to remove those who were responsible at the time at least from that position and duty until there's a significant level of assurance obtained.”

Mr Gamble continued: “When we talk about data, I've heard people say, 'well, it's just initials and names' from my initial and my name at one time you'd have known where I worked, you’d have known that I was involved in covert operations, that heightens the risk. As someone who moved house three times whilst a serving officer, not least the last time following the Castlereagh break-in, on those occasions you feel that the service is rallying round to support you in the aftermath of activities of others who have put your life at risk.

"The real problem here is this is an own goal. These officers are being put at risk because of something that was not done properly and I can't imagine how any information, numeric information even, about the number of officers in different places wouldn't have to cleared at Assistant Chief Constable or director level before it was released anyway because there's an operational impact.

“What does worry me is that, I look some times at the broader command team and wonder are they so busy trying to create a sense of normality and the movement to improvement around normal policing practice that they forget the true historic context, the risk that our officers face and the fact that we are at a severe risk level now.”

He said that significant money will need to be spent to reassure officers and to move some of them.