Staffordshire Police is reprimanded for handing an abuse victim's address to the alleged abuser in a notice meant to PROTECT them

Staffordshire Police handed a domestic abuse victim's home address directly to their alleged abuser when officers served a Domestic Violence Protection Notice on the suspect as they left prison in March 2024. The blunder meant the alleged perpetrator, who had not previously known where the victim lived, was given the details in the very document designed to shield them. The Information Commissioner's Office has now formally reprimanded the force after finding it lacked proper safeguards, including poor completion rates for mandatory data protection training.

The victim, who had already moved home multiple times to escape the alleged abuse, was left fearing they would have to uproot their family yet again.

ICO head of investigations Sally-Anne Poole warned: 'What might seem like a simple error can expose someone to real and immediate danger.'

Staffordshire Police has since updated internal procedures to ensure victim addresses are not included in protection notices where not already known to the recipient.