His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has found that hackers repeatedly compromised third-party suppliers holding British police data since 2021, in attacks the Police Digital Service and the National Police Chiefs' Council described as affecting "third-party ICT supply chains which held police information". The report, published 27 October, deliberately withholds operational detail — how many incidents, which suppliers or forces, and whether data was stolen. The Police Digital Service recorded 252 cybersecurity incidents affecting policing in the first three months of 2026, plus 796 "near misses" including malware, unauthorised access attempts and accidental disclosures by staff. Most police supplier contracts contained no ongoing cybersecurity assurance; some forces could not say whether suppliers were obliged to report incidents promptly. The inspectorate separately criticised policing and fire services being omitted from the National Risk Register 2025 and the Government Cyber Action Plan, and warned leaders judged further attacks "highly likely".

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