ICO reprimands Staffordshire Police for leaking domestic abuse victim's address

A March 2024 Domestic Violence Protection Notice erroneously included the victim's home address; the ICO chose a reprimand over a fine after the force made improvements.

The UK Information Commissioner's Office issued a reprimand to Staffordshire Police on October 28 after the force shared a domestic abuse victim's home address with their abuser in a Domestic Violence Protection Notice served in March 2024. The abuser, referred to as P, did not previously know the address, which the ICO called highly sensitive given allegations of years of physical and emotional abuse that forced the victim to relocate repeatedly. The regulator found the force had failed to put appropriate measures in place, including poor completion rates for mandatory data protection and DVPN training, but decided not to fine it, citing subsequent improvements such as increased training completion, new domestic abuse leadership roles, new procedures and new technology.