The PSNI has a £5.5 million contract with an Israeli company – but won’t release the name or nature of the contract partly because of “national security” concerns.
The police force also argue releasing the name and details "would likely... endanger the physical or mental health or safety of individual officers” and harm the contractor’s commercial interests.
Records released to The Ditch under freedom of information legislation shows the contract began in November 2019 and is to finish in November this year.
The PSNI cited national security grounds for declining to release details of what kind of goods or services the company provides.
“Confirming or denying the existence of such arrangements on a blanket nationality basis could enable adversaries to build an intelligence picture across policing (the ‘mosaic effect’) and would be likely to prejudice law enforcement and/or national security functions,” the PSNI said.
“In such circumstances, the duty to confirm or deny does not arise under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, namely Section 24(2) National Security, and Section 31(3) Law Enforcement.”
National security, commercial considerations
The PSNI has also said that releasing confirming whether the company is involved in providing technology could “directly harm” the ability of the PSNI to investigate crime.
“This could also reveal police capabilities, compromise police investigations and/or otherwise, adversely affect the ability of the PSNI to safeguard national security,” a freedom of information officer said.
Disclosing the name of the company, the PSNI also claimed, could imperil its officers, exposing them “to targeting, intimidation or harm”.
Additionally the police service argued disclosing the name of the company might hinder its ability to apply to provide future goods or services to the PSNI.
“A release under Freedom of Information is considered a release into the public domain and would therefore be a release in effect to other competitors. Disclosing the winning bid proposal in this matter would provide an advantage to rival businesses and undermine the main contractor’s trading ability to tender for future contracts,” the police service explained.
The PSNI has previously faced scrutiny over its cooperation with Israeli police and security institutions.
In 2021 Amnesty International's north of Ireland director Patrick Corrigan called on the PSNI to suspend all programmes with the Israeli police and security services where there's a clear risk of involvement in human rights violations after an investigation by The Detail.
“This needs to come as part of a wider halt to all military and police exports from the UK to Israel, including any training and technology which could lead to further human rights violations,” he said.
The investigation found that the PSNI was working on four research projects involving a company linked to illegal settlements or the ministry responsible for prisons. It also identified three previously completed research projects. Each project was funded by the EU under Project Horizon, the outlet reported.
Last month Al Jazeera reported that the British government invests in spyware tested on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, from companies Cellebrite and Briefcam.
The PSNI has been contacted for comment.
