Latest news with #AEPs
Irish Post
03-07-2025
- Irish Post
Ombudsman finds police use of baton rounds during Ballymena riots was ‘proportional'
A REVIEW of the PSNI's response to the recent riots in Ballymena has found they showed 'considerable restraint' in the face of the violence aimed at them. The Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland has assessed the use of 'Attenuating Energy Projectiles' (AEPs), known as baton rounds, during the public disorder which erupted in the Co. Antrim town last month. In their report they concluded that police commanders showed 'considerable restraint' in their use of force during the incidents. Police used AEPs 32 times on five dates to help control the disorder, with each incident subsequently assessed by Police Ombudsman investigators. 'Assessing the police use of force in response to the disorder required extensive work, including the review of more than 100 pieces of body worn video, amounting to more than 20 hours of footage,' Chief Executive of the Police Ombudsman's Office, Hugh Hume, said. 'It is clear from this evidence that police commanders did not authorise any use of force until all other options had been exhausted,' he explained. 'In the face of sustained and significant violence, which resulted in multiple police officers being injured, police showed considerable restraint and a consistent, proportionate response.' Last month, the Police Ombudsman's office also confirmed that there were no grounds to open an investigation into the discharge of firearms by police officers during an incident in Bangor. However, Mr Hume emphasised that every 'use of force' case is considered individually, and that two recent convictions of police officers demonstrates that those who misuse their powers will be held to account. In the most recent case in April 2025, a former police officer's conviction for common assault was upheld on appeal, after an unwarranted use of PAVA spray, which is an irritant similar to pepper spray, during an arrest. The case arose from an incident at a filling station in Coalisland when a man was stopped by police and told he was being searched under the Justice and Security Act. When the man challenged the police officers, he was arrested for disorderly behaviour. Body worn video captured the arrest and showed that the police officer, Andrew Forde, who also had his baton drawn, sprayed the man with PAVA spray without warning, before handcuffing him and placing him in the back of a police car. Forde was prosecuted and convicted following the Police Ombudsman investigation. In 2024, a former police constable, David Dumican, was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to a man during an incident in Lurgan in June 2018. Dumican received a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years, after he struck the man on the head with a police baton with such force that he required emergency medical treatment and had to be placed into an induced coma. 'In many instances where we investigate use of force, we will identify appropriate responses and good practice on the part of police,' Mr Hume said. 'However, these prosecutions show that, when the force used is incompatible with applicable standards and potentially criminal, we will not hesitate to pursue those cases. 'These are examples of impartial, evidence-based investigation in action, which should provide reassurance to police officers that they can, and should, use force when it is appropriate and proportionate, while also contributing to building public confidence in policing,' Mr Hume added. The Police Ombudsman received two complaints about use of force in the recent public disorder. One, which concerned a member of the public being hit by AEPs, was closed as being without foundation. A further complaint in which a member of the public alleges they were hit on the leg with a baton, remains open. See More: Ballymena, Batons, Police Ombudsman For Northern Ireland, Riots
ITV News
01-07-2025
- ITV News
PSNI used 'considerable restraint' firing baton rounds during Northern Ireland riots
A review has found the PSNI showed 'considerable restraint' in their use of baton rounds during recent rioting in Northern Ireland. Chief executive of the Police Ombudsman's Office Hugh Hume said the PSNI used Attenuating Energy Projectiles (AEPs) 32 times on five dates to help control disorder. Violence erupted in Ballymena in June after the alleged sexual assault of a girl in the town. Two 14-year-old boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, were charged with attempted rape. A peaceful protest about the alleged assault was followed by attacks on police and properties housing ethnic minorities, which was described by police as 'racist thuggery'. The disturbances lasted for several nights and spread to other areas of Northern Ireland including Portadown, Larne, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Londonderry and Coleraine. Police also dealt with several nights of disorder in Londonderry, which Chief Constable Jon Boutcher described as 'blatant sectarian violence'. More than 80 police officers were injured in the violence across several locations. The PSNI use of AEPs, commonly known as baton rounds, has been criticised by some victims' organisations in Northern Ireland. Mr Hume said: 'Assessing the police use of force in response to the disorder required extensive work, including the review of more than 100 pieces of body worn video, amounting to more than 20 hours of footage. 'It is clear from this evidence that police commanders did not authorise any use of force until all other options had been exhausted. 'In the face of sustained and significant violence, which resulted in multiple police officers being injured, police showed considerable restraint and a consistent, proportionate response.' The Police Ombudsman received two complaints about use of force in the recent public disorder. One, which concerned a member of the public being hit by AEPs, was closed as being without foundation. A further complaint in which a member of the public alleges they were hit on the leg with a baton, remains open.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- The Hindu
Airport staff passes to be linked to facial technology, vehicle number plates, and FASTags
A multi-stakeholder meeting on airport security held this week discussed ways to mitigate 'insider threat' by integrating entry passes issued to airport, airline, and ground-handling staff with facial technology, and their vehicle's high security number plate and radio frequency identification-enabled FASTag used for collecting toll tax Such a move would enable 'faster entry into the airport and quicker processing at security checkpoints, reducing queues and wait times. Digitised standard operating procedures (SOPs) will also lead to smarter and quicker responses to any security concerns,' a press statement issued by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Saturday (June 28, 2025) said. Such an integration of airport entry passes (AEPs) used by security, airport, airline and ground handling staff, among others, for accessing airports will help in curbing 'insider threat', Inspector General of CISF (Airport Sector), Vijay Prakash, told The Hindu. This was required as employees left their vehicles in parking area for long hours, allowing scope for misuse by miscreants who were not AEP holders or bona fide staff, the official said. There were deliberations on the integration of Artificial Intelligence in data analysis for gaining insights and anticipating security risks before they occurred, the press statement added. These issues were discussed at a workshop held by the CISF on Friday, attended by its senior officials, security chiefs from 69 airports, and representatives of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the Airports Authority of India. Other security agencies that were present included the Delhi Police, the Bureau of Immigration, the Special Protection Group, and the National Security Guard. There were also representatives from the Delhi International Airport Limited, and airlines, including Air India Express and IndiGo. There was also a suggestion to ensure a zoning system for AEP holders, so that if someone was permitted access to only certain part of airports, including the arrival hall, they could be restricted from going beyond that area with the help of technology along the lines of RFID (radio frequency identification), which could set off an alarm. BCAS, the aviation security watchdog, issues AEPs for aviation personnel who need to access the airport, as well as salespersons at retail outlets and restaurants inside airports.
South Wales Guardian
19-06-2025
- South Wales Guardian
PSNI ‘far more robust' in response to attacks on officers, warns Jon Boutcher
Jon Boutcher acknowledged there had previously been reluctance within the Police Service of Northern Ireland to deploy tactics such as baton rounds (AEPs) and water cannon due to concern among officers that they might be subject to complaints. He said that since last summer's race-related disturbances in the region, the PSNI was being 'far more proactive and robust' in response to attacks directed at them. Speaking to the media at an event at Stormont to highlight high levels of assaults against officers across all areas of policing, the chief constable also described as 'nuts' social media platforms that enable people to generate income from livestreaming disorder. There were multiple incidents of people livestreaming disorder in parts of Northern Ireland last week. Mr Boutcher said his officers had put themselves in harm's way to police the incidents, with 87 injured as a result. 'I have a duty to protect those officers,' he said. 'In the disturbances last August you will have seen a shift, we were far more proactive and robust in our tactics last August. And we are more robust again. 'And I will bring support in from policing (elsewhere) in the United Kingdom to ensure that we can police these disturbances until we've arrested all of those concerned. And we will arrest them. We will pursue them, we'll find them, we'll arrest them, we'll prosecute them, and we will put them in prison.' He added: 'I'll be very clear, I have no tolerance for assaults on police officers. And I think if you speak to the police officers here, they would be unequivocal in the fact that we use all the tactics available to us, whether that's AEP rounds, whether that's water cannon, but we do it proportionately. 'You've seen the footage of what these officers have faced – the masonry, the petrol bombs, the railings and axe (all thrown at them). We will not stand there and be assaulted. We'll defend ourselves. 'We'll take proactive measures to stop that, and we will go after them. And we'll put their images in the media, that wasn't happening. So we've released more images of people we want to arrest. 'Don't do it. Stop it. I will be very clear. I will not accept this. I will not accept it, but none of us should accept it. Nobody in society should accept this.' Mr Boutcher continued: 'So last year, last August, to be clear, when the disturbances started, I felt that, and I spoke to police officers, officers told me that they didn't feel supported, they stood there and took incoming missiles of all sorts of descriptions. 'There are a range of tactics available to them. They felt that here complaints are made against them for using those tactics in a way they're not made anywhere else. 'This is our police service. This is the line between keeping society safe and there being, you know, havoc in society, chaos in society. 'We will use all the tactics available to us to protect those officers and protect society. We will not stand there and take missiles in the way that I've seen occur before, unless we absolutely have to. We will be absolutely robust in dealing with people.' On the issue of livestreaming rioting, Mr Boutcher said: 'Much of the stuff that you see online, and there is so much of it, is from overseas. Most of it is from abroad. It's not from here. 'People who don't know Northern Ireland, they don't know Portadown, they don't know Ballymena, they're just getting on this almost crowd euphoria looking remotely. That's what's encouraging a lot of this behaviour. 'I was only told recently, the more looks or likes you get when you're filming these events, you get money on social media platforms. That's nuts. 'Don't go out anywhere near these disturbances and disorders. Stay away, because if you get caught up in it, it can change your lives forever. 'Whatever you think you can achieve in life will be seriously handicapped if you are arrested and prosecuted for these crimes that are being committed. Don't do it.'
Western Telegraph
19-06-2025
- Western Telegraph
PSNI ‘far more robust' in response to attacks on officers, warns Jon Boutcher
Jon Boutcher acknowledged there had previously been reluctance within the Police Service of Northern Ireland to deploy tactics such as baton rounds (AEPs) and water cannon due to concern among officers that they might be subject to complaints. He said that since last summer's race-related disturbances in the region, the PSNI was being 'far more proactive and robust' in response to attacks directed at them. We will pursue them, we'll find them, we'll arrest them, we'll prosecute them, and we will put them in prison Jon Boutcher Speaking to the media at an event at Stormont to highlight high levels of assaults against officers across all areas of policing, the chief constable also described as 'nuts' social media platforms that enable people to generate income from livestreaming disorder. There were multiple incidents of people livestreaming disorder in parts of Northern Ireland last week. Mr Boutcher said his officers had put themselves in harm's way to police the incidents, with 87 injured as a result. 'I have a duty to protect those officers,' he said. 'In the disturbances last August you will have seen a shift, we were far more proactive and robust in our tactics last August. And we are more robust again. 'And I will bring support in from policing (elsewhere) in the United Kingdom to ensure that we can police these disturbances until we've arrested all of those concerned. And we will arrest them. We will pursue them, we'll find them, we'll arrest them, we'll prosecute them, and we will put them in prison.' We will use all the tactics available to us to protect those officers and protect society Jon Boutcher He added: 'I'll be very clear, I have no tolerance for assaults on police officers. And I think if you speak to the police officers here, they would be unequivocal in the fact that we use all the tactics available to us, whether that's AEP rounds, whether that's water cannon, but we do it proportionately. 'You've seen the footage of what these officers have faced – the masonry, the petrol bombs, the railings and axe (all thrown at them). We will not stand there and be assaulted. We'll defend ourselves. 'We'll take proactive measures to stop that, and we will go after them. And we'll put their images in the media, that wasn't happening. So we've released more images of people we want to arrest. 'Don't do it. Stop it. I will be very clear. I will not accept this. I will not accept it, but none of us should accept it. Nobody in society should accept this.' Mr Boutcher continued: 'So last year, last August, to be clear, when the disturbances started, I felt that, and I spoke to police officers, officers told me that they didn't feel supported, they stood there and took incoming missiles of all sorts of descriptions. 'There are a range of tactics available to them. They felt that here complaints are made against them for using those tactics in a way they're not made anywhere else. Fires burning in Portadown last week (Brian Lawless/PA) 'This is our police service. This is the line between keeping society safe and there being, you know, havoc in society, chaos in society. 'We will use all the tactics available to us to protect those officers and protect society. We will not stand there and take missiles in the way that I've seen occur before, unless we absolutely have to. We will be absolutely robust in dealing with people.' On the issue of livestreaming rioting, Mr Boutcher said: 'Much of the stuff that you see online, and there is so much of it, is from overseas. Most of it is from abroad. It's not from here. 'People who don't know Northern Ireland, they don't know Portadown, they don't know Ballymena, they're just getting on this almost crowd euphoria looking remotely. That's what's encouraging a lot of this behaviour. 'I was only told recently, the more looks or likes you get when you're filming these events, you get money on social media platforms. That's nuts. 'Don't go out anywhere near these disturbances and disorders. Stay away, because if you get caught up in it, it can change your lives forever. 'Whatever you think you can achieve in life will be seriously handicapped if you are arrested and prosecuted for these crimes that are being committed. Don't do it.'
