Assaults on Police officers

Question 

Assaults on Police officers – why is it so high compared to rest of UK and what plans are in place to reduce the number of assaults?

Answer

CONTEXT: 

Stats for Assaults in Northern Ireland Compared to England and Wales 

• Recorded crime by specific offence - Northern Ireland, 2020/21 to 2022/23 

It is clear the level of assaults against officers in Northern Ireland is significantly higher proportionately when compared to other services across the UK. Some Northern Ireland specific reasons for this may include: 

• Legacy issues: A historic and enduring belief in certain communities that using violence against police officers is acceptable. This can be evidenced by the types of public disorder PSNI have to manage and which ultimately results in our officers being assaulted/injured. On 7 September after a search police recovered two handguns, 2 Military hand grenades, over 50 rounds of ammunition, and over a kilogram of plastic explosives. During subsequent disorder 16 police officers were injured. One of those officers remains off as a result of their injuries. 
  

• Current sentencing to low: England and Wales have the Emergency Worker Act to support appropriate sentencing for those who attack emergency service workers including the police. NI does not have similar legislation though this is being looked at by the DOJ. There is a perception that the repercussions of assaulting officers or police staff are not significant therefore do not provide a suitable deterrent. In the interim PSNI has launched the Chief Constables Statement on the 04/03/24 to ensure that courts are aware of the broader impact on the police service of assaults against its officers and staff. 
  

• Unwillingness to use force: PSNI has one of the most robust accountability regimes of any Policing Service in Europe. The use of any force is heavily scrutinised and officers are concerned that even when lawful they will be unfairly criticised internally and externally for using force in certain circumstances. Not using force, such as applying handcuffs, restraining an individual or using a pre-emptive strike has caused officers in the past to be assaulted. A focus group was carried out in June 2023 where Use of force was explored. Participants were asked whether they would be prepared to use a lawful pre-emptive strike 32 out of 41 responses said they would. This figure may seem high but in fact all 41 officers should have that confidence. 

• Mental Health: PSNI officers are being asked to step in and deal with individuals in mental health crisis as other services are unavailable. Police officers are not always best trained nor equipped to most effectively deal with many of these incidents. Unfortunately officers are regularly assaulted when trying to help people suffering from mental illness. 84% of all our calls for service have a mental health or an addiction element (2021). 

• Society is changing: This is not simply an NI issue but the prevalence of drugs and addiction in our communities is increasing the potential for officers being assaulted carrying out their duties. 

The Police Service is its people and feels assaults against our people keenly. In 2020 the PSNIs then Chief Constable launched a Nine Point Plan to change the culture of how our organisation investigates assaults on officers and staff.

The aim of the Nine Point Plan is to improve the way these assaults are investigated, placing emphasis on ensuring incidents are as thoroughly and robustly investigated as attacks on the public. The plan also seeks to improve criminal justice outcomes and ensure individuals affected are given the right support.

An internal Injury and Assault Reduction Working Group has been established which meets regularly to understand and mitigate the issue. This group is made up of representatives from Protective Services, Health and Safety, Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Criminal Justice Branch, District Policing, Crime Prevention, Police Federation and NIPSA. 

In 2022 the group carried out an internal survey of all officers and staff seeking the experiences of those who had been assaulted in the previous 12 months, as well as opinions from all about the current training and equipment available from the organisation. There were 1,036 responses resulting in over 130 pages of responses. 

Some of the findings include: 

• Of the 922 police officers who responded, 394 (43%) indicated that they had been assaulted. Local Policing Teams (LPTs) represent the highest percentage assaulted with 68%, followed by Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) at 52% and District Support Teams (DSTs) at 51% 

• Of the 110 police staff who responded, 23 (21%) indicated that they had been assaulted. All of these were Custody Detention Officers (CDOs). This number represented 82% of all CDOs who responded. 

• From the survey 65% of all assaults happened responding to a call for service. In 37% of cases the assault happened on a roadway, followed by 21% in a dwelling, with the third most frequent location being a Custody Suite at 10%. 

• 67% of officers who have completed Personal Safety Programme (PSP) training felt the level of PSP provided was sufficient though this falls to 61% for LPT and NPT officers and 47% of Tactical Support Group (TSG) officers. 

• In relation to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 37% of the survey’s respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that additional PPE was required. This compared with 18% who either disagreed or strongly disagreed 
  

In June 2023 focus groups were also carried out in South Area, Belfast and Derry City and Strabane. Attendees were asked to rate the current PSP provision out of 5 where 5 is total confidence in the training and 1 is no confidence in the training. Some of the findings include: 

• 84% rated their confidence in the current provision as 2 or 3. 

• People do have confidence in their PPE. 65% rated their confidence level in PPE provided at 4 or 5. 

• Use of force was explored. Asked whether they would be prepared to use a lawful pre-emptive strike 32 out of 41 responses said they would. 

• Officers and staff stated increasing societal drug use and mental health issues are increasing the level of violence officers and staff face. 

• People believe that bureaucracy relating to reporting and recording assaults is too high. 

Bringing this information together a strategy has been developed and we have a number of recommendations we are working through to help reduce injury and assaults on our colleagues. These recommendations are summarised below in appendix 1. The working group will be putting these into action over the next 12 months. 

The PFNI Annual Conference is taking place in May 2024 and ACC Singleton has been asked by the PFNI (and has agreed) to take part as a panel member in a discussion on assaults on police on day 2 of the conference. It is understood that the PFNI would also like to discuss the potential of a joint campaign over the coming months with PSNI and NIPB on the subject of assaults on police, however no formal discussions or commitments have been made in relation to this at this time. 

There is no easy solution to this issue. This will take time and a well-rounded approach that goes beyond our own organisation’s borders but working collaboratively, both internally and externally with partners, we will make a difference.

Appendix 1: 

Keith Buchanan MLA - DUP