Three out of 10,000 failed vetting over social media behaviour

Independent

06-03-2025

Just three out of 10,000 people who applied to join the PSNI failed to clear security vetting based on social media posts, the Northern Ireland Policing Board has heard.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher previously expressed concern at the number of young people failing vetting over social media activity.
During a meeting of the board on Thursday, Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly questioned Mr Boutcher further on what sort of activity would lead to a candidate failing the vetting.
He queried whether it could be for voicing criticism of police, attending a commemoration of a relative, being connected to a Sinn Fein member or supporting the party.
'That is the essence of what is being said in the media at the moment,' Mr Kelly added.
Mr Boutcher responded by saying he has established that in the previous two recruitment processes, not including the current process, three people out of 10,000 failed the vetting because of solely what was on their social media accounts.
'If you weren't able to become a police officer because you disagreed with the government or something police did, I wouldn't be a police officer,' he said.
'So it's not about that. It's about values, it's about what we'd expect from people around the standards that we want in policing.
'It's beyond sharing a particular position on agreeing or disagreeing with something that might have happened in the public domain.
'It's about language, it's about some of the things you see online where there is clearly predatory, abusive, concerning behaviours.
'It's difficult in this environment to go into specifics, but there is a panel that will assess these issues if there is a concern.
'We then have Sir John Gillen as a point of appeal, who will look at any cases where people feel they have been unfairly treated.'
Mr Boutcher also emphasised the importance of vetting.
'Policing has found in recent years where they have cut corners with vetting, they brought people in who should not be police officers, and that is causing significant challenges and has caused reputational issues in recent years,' he added.
'The Angiolini Inquiry has said that the key to the issues we have found with people like David Carrick and Wayne Couzens was the vetting processes, and we are very much signed up to the 16 recommendations in that report.
'To reassure you, if someone comes from a particular background, and that's any background because there are all sorts of new and emerging communities in Northern Ireland that we want to be part of this organisation, and may have a view of policing traditionally, that will not impact on their ability to be a good police officer, and that will not prevent them from being a police officer.'