diff --git a/pkg/event/events.go b/pkg/event/events.go
index e33222f516..93fbf24686 100644
--- a/pkg/event/events.go
+++ b/pkg/event/events.go
@@ -125,12 +125,12 @@ func NewBackgroundSuccessEvent(policy, rule string, source Source, r *unstructur
 
 func NewPolicyExceptionEvents(engineResponse *engineapi.EngineResponse, ruleResp *engineapi.RuleResponse) []Info {
 	exceptionName, exceptionNamespace := ruleResp.Exception.GetName(), ruleResp.Exception.GetNamespace()
-	policyMessage := fmt.Sprintf("resource %s was skipped from rule %s due to policy exception %s/%s", engineResponse.PatchedResource.GetName(), ruleResp.Name, exceptionNamespace, exceptionName)
+	policyMessage := fmt.Sprintf("resource %s was skipped from rule %s due to policy exception %s/%s", resourceKey(engineResponse.PatchedResource), ruleResp.Name, exceptionNamespace, exceptionName)
 	var exceptionMessage string
 	if engineResponse.Policy.GetNamespace() == "" {
-		exceptionMessage = fmt.Sprintf("resource %s was skipped from policy rule %s/%s", engineResponse.PatchedResource.GetName(), engineResponse.Policy.GetName(), ruleResp.Name)
+		exceptionMessage = fmt.Sprintf("resource %s was skipped from policy rule %s/%s", resourceKey(engineResponse.PatchedResource), engineResponse.Policy.GetName(), ruleResp.Name)
 	} else {
-		exceptionMessage = fmt.Sprintf("resource %s was skipped from policy rule %s/%s/%s", engineResponse.PatchedResource.GetName(), engineResponse.Policy.GetNamespace(), engineResponse.Policy.GetName(), ruleResp.Name)
+		exceptionMessage = fmt.Sprintf("resource %s was skipped from policy rule %s/%s/%s", resourceKey(engineResponse.PatchedResource), engineResponse.Policy.GetNamespace(), engineResponse.Policy.GetName(), ruleResp.Name)
 	}
 	policyEvent := Info{
 		Kind:      getPolicyKind(engineResponse.Policy),
@@ -148,3 +148,11 @@ func NewPolicyExceptionEvents(engineResponse *engineapi.EngineResponse, ruleResp
 	}
 	return []Info{policyEvent, exceptionEvent}
 }
+
+func resourceKey(resource unstructured.Unstructured) string {
+	if resource.GetNamespace() != "" {
+		return strings.Join([]string{resource.GetKind(), resource.GetNamespace(), resource.GetName()}, "/")
+	}
+
+	return strings.Join([]string{resource.GetKind(), resource.GetName()}, "/")
+}