Staffordshire Police reprimanded after domestic abuse victim's address wrongly disclosed to alleged abuser
The Information Commissioner's Office says a protection notice should never have included the address
Last updated 28th Oct 2026
Staffordshire Police has been issued with a reprimand by the Information Commissioner's Office after unlawfully disclosing a domestic abuse victim's home address to their alleged abuser.
The ICO said the breach happened in March 2024, when the force issued a Domestic Violence Protection Notice, an emergency measure intended to protect a victim from violence or threats of violence.
According to the regulator, the notice included the victim's current address when it was served on the alleged perpetrator following their release from prison.
The ICO said the address was not previously known to the alleged abuser, and that including it in the notice was not lawful.
The watchdog said the breach caused serious distress to the victim, who had previously moved home on several occasions to escape the alleged abuse.
The ICO's investigation also found that Staffordshire Police failed to have appropriate measures in place to prevent the disclosure, including poor completion rates for mandatory training in both data protection and issuing the notices.
ICO reaction
Sally-Anne Poole, Head of Investigations at the ICO, said: "Data breaches of this kind are never just technical failures. When someone comes forward as a victim of domestic abuse, they are placing their trust and their safety in the hands of the police. What might seem like a simple error, such as including an address in a document that didn't need it, can expose someone to real and immediate danger. In this case, the very notice designed to protect them instead put them at risk and left them fearing that they would have to relocate their family once again."
Changes made by the force
Staffordshire Police has since made a number of improvements to reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again, according to the ICO.
These include increasing completion rates for relevant training, establishing new leadership roles around domestic abuse cases and investing in new technology to improve services for victims, the regulator said.
The ICO said internal procedures have also been updated to ensure address details are not included in protection notices where they are not already known to the recipient.
Poole added: "This case is a reminder that getting the basics right is not optional. Every organisation must be doing everything necessary to protect the personal information in their care, especially where there is a known risk to someone's safety. Whether in policing, health or local government, we urge organisations to take responsibility for training their staff and putting appropriate systems in place to avoid these incidents and the harm they can cause. We welcome the improvements made by Staffordshire Police to both its policies and procedures."
Response from Staffordshire Police
Deputy Chief Constable at Staffordshire Police, Caroline Marsh said: "We fully recognise the impact this incident had on the victim and sincerely regret the distress and disruption this caused. We remain committed to learning from this case.
“This incident related to a Domestic Violence Protection Notice issued in 2024, and since it has been subject to detailed review, and has informed a significant programme of improvement across our domestic abuse response.
"Over the last 18 months, we have strengthened leadership and governance arrangements through the introduction of dedicated strategic and tactical domestic abuse leads, alongside a dedicated domestic abuse chief inspector role for 12 months to drive improvement, oversight and accountability.
"We have enhanced our approach to risk assessment through the introduction of a new Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment (DARA) process.
"We continue to invest heavily in officer training and awareness to ensure our workforce understands the complexities of domestic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, vulnerability and victim safeguarding. Additional learning from this incident will be incorporated into future vulnerability training to reinforce the importance of protecting sensitive information and understanding the potential impact that disclosure can have on victim confidence and safety.
"We have also increased scrutiny of Domestic Violence Protection Notice applications, with strengthened supervisory oversight.
"These improvements are already delivering positive outcomes, with conversion rates from Domestic Violence Protection Notices to Orders increasing significantly, demonstrating improved quality and effectiveness in our safeguarding activity.
"The incident has reinforced the need to balance robust safeguarding action against perpetrators with the careful protection of victim information.
"Protecting vulnerable victims remains an absolute priority. We are committed to continually improving our service, learning from incidents when they occur and ensuring victims receive the support, protection and confidence they deserve when they come forward and report abuse.”