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Belfast Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
PSNI's Deputy Chief dismisses DUP suggestion of two-tier policing following recent rioting across NI
DCC Bobby Singleton was speaking after a meeting yesterday with a DUP delegation – led by Policing Board member Trevor Clarke – which had suggested that the PSNI had dealt with riots in unionist areas more harshly than recent disorder in Londonderry. The PSNI dismissed this, saying it will respond to unrest 'using the most appropriate tactics'. The DUP cohort also saw Policing Board members Keith Buchanan and Cheryl Brownlee, East Belfast MLA Joanne Bunting, who is also Chair of Stormont's Justice Committee, and North Antrim MLA Paul Frew in attendance. The delegation had voiced concern over 'two-tier' policing in response to recent riots. Violence in Ballymena was sparked by an alleged sexual assault on June 7. Two 14 year old boys, who spoke through a Romanian interpreter at Coleraine Magistrates Court, would later be charged with attempted rape. Homes of a number of ethnic minorities in the area would then be targeted in three nights of racially-motivated violence in mainly unionist towns, with several houses burnt out. Further later disorder occurred in Nailor's Row, Derry, with youths throwing petrol bombs at police. The Chief Constable described the disorder as "blatant sectarian violence", although Derek Moore, from the North West Cultural Partnership [NWCP], said recently it was not sectarian in nature, but recreational. He said at the time that he believes 'young people growing up now think they missed out on the Troubles', and they see rioting as 'meaningless fun'. There was also an element of one-upmanship on social media in response to the violence elsewhere, he claimed. Police fired one plastic baton round in Derry, but many more were fired in Ballymena, where the disorder was over three nights and more intense. Mr Clarke said the DUP had been 'unequivocal that anyone engaging in public disorder, whether it be in Ballymena, Portadown, Larne or Londonderry, should be held fully accountable for their actions'. 'At the same time, everyone must be equal under the law and equally subject to it,' he continued. 'Where police officers are attacked, property damaged and homes attacked, the criminal justice response must be fair and consistent, irrespective of the motivation or background of those involved. 'In particular, the deployment of baton rounds (AEPs), should not be dictated by how such measures might be perceived by those on the receiving end, including those from republican or nationalist communities. 'Although the Chief Constable has indicated that the fear of complaints is no longer a factor in these decisions, we remain to be convinced that this has been played out on the ground during recent riots.' A PSNI spokesperson said that Mr Singleton 'assured those present that the PSNI will continue to respond to public disorder without fear or favour, using the most appropriate tactics to respond to the individual circumstances facing officers'. 'He told them that the police response to rioting has not and will never be affected by the motivation or the background of those criminals attacking officers and their community,' they said. 'He praised the courage and dedication of those police officers who responded to the disorder, 107 of whom were injured, and reiterated the Chief Constable's determination that those involved in recent racist and sectarian riots will be investigated, arrested and brought before the courts where police will be seeking the strongest custodial sentences.'
ITV News
10-06-2025
- ITV News
Number of PSNI officers retiring on ill-health grounds more than doubles in two years
A former police officer who served on the frontline in Belfast for more than 20 years has spoken frankly about the toll the job has taken on his mental health. The 50-year-old, who doesn't want to be identified, took ill health retirement in 2023 after being diagnosed with complex PTSD. He first joined the PSNI up for the challenge - but left feeling the job had taken a 'good part of him away'. He was first on the scene when 15-year-old schoolboy Thomas Devlin was murdered in a sectarian attack in 2005. He said: "I just bounced from one call to the next to the next, doesn't matter how horrific you just got on with it. "I have my name written on the walls in certain estates because I was black and white with the crime. "It got to the stage you stopped caring, you just did what you had to do to get the call down and move off to the next one". "I was a shell. I was broken. I had nightmares, I relived incidents that I'd been to. It caused issues with my family, I was angry and I wasn't nice to be around. "The job had taken a good part of me away." UTV can reveal the number of officers who have taken ill-health retirement has soared in the last two years. The total number rose by a staggering 140% from 83 in 2023 to 200 in 2024. A figure that is three times higher than in England and echoed the urgency of this issue during a recent Policing Board Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: ''The work of our officers has become increasingly complex and importantly resource intensive. "That combined with our decline in police numbers means our police officers are under increasingly intolerable and unimaginable pressure and stress. "A reality which is already worn out in our service delivery and that's been recognised in our ill health and retirement data.'' Claire Duffield, the PSNI's Assistant Chief Officer added: ''Some of the roles that our officers do expose them to greater trauma than others. "For example, we know that we have police staff and officers that do very specialist work in our public protection branch, in our collision investigation unit in the child internet protection team and they have much more regular exposure to traumatic incidents or material. "Now we are focusing our resources to help and support, and we also know we have to be careful about the tenure of people in those roles.'' The retirement figures equate a significant loss of experience from areas of policing such as crime and public understands that among those who have taken ill health retirement are officers who worked on the Alexander McCartney case. He's the Catfish from Northern Ireland who abused thousands of children online and drove one teenager to take her own life. It was a harrowing and traumatic case for detectives to work on. The sectarian murder of schoolboy Thomas Devlin in 2005 in North Belfast still haunts the officer who spent two decades on the frontline in the city. "The hardest part of that job was, at a later date the family wanted to meet myself and my colleague to thank us and I just felt guilt. They wanted to thank me for trying when I couldn't do anything to save him."
BreakingNews.ie
05-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Irvine controversy has impacted confidence in justice system
Controversy around the sentencing of leading loyalist Winston Irvine has impacted upon confidence in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton has said. Mr Singleton also told the Policing Board that he wanted to give clarity that he did not provide a character witness for Irvine and would not have done so if asked. Advertisement Irvine was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, with half to be served in jail, at Belfast Crown Court last month following an incident where firearms and ammunition were found in the boot of his car. Irvine avoided a statutory five-year sentence on several of the charges he faced after Judge Gordon Kerr KC ruled there were 'exceptional circumstances' in his case, namely Irvine's 'work for peace and his charity work in the community'. The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has said it is considering whether there is any legal basis to appeal the sentence. The length of Irvine's sentence and the fact he and his co-accused Robin Workman were not prosecuted for terrorism offences has attracted controversy. Advertisement Mr Singleton was asked about the case during the monthly meeting of the Policing Board. He said: 'I think this case and the debate surrounding it undoubtedly has impacted on confidence in the entire criminal justice system. 'As the face, the front end of that, it has also impacted on policing.' Mr Singleton added: 'For clarity, I absolutely did not provide a character reference for Mr Irvine, nor was I asked to. Advertisement 'If I had been, I absolutely wouldn't have done so.' Bobby Singleton said he did not provide a character witness for Winston Irvine. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA. The senior officer said he had given evidence under oath during an earlier preliminary inquiry in the case. He added: 'As Mr Irvine's arrest by our counter-terrorism officers and subsequent investigation by our terrorism investigation unit demonstrates, we police without fear or favour, and that is exactly the way it should be.' Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said sentencing was a matter for the courts. Advertisement He said Irvine had been arrested by police under the Terrorism Act and there had been a 'thorough investigation'. He added: 'I can confirm that ballistic testing of all the firearms was conducted and there was no previous history in respect of those firearms or indeed the ammunition. 'Our role is to investigate and to place evidence before the court.' Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck (centre) speaks during the monthly meeting of the board. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA. Irvine, 49, of Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, and Workman, 54, of Shore Road in Larne, Co Antrim, both admitted possession of a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances. Advertisement They also admitted two counts of possessing a handgun without a certificate, one count of possessing ammunition without a certificate, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a firearm without a certificate. Workman further pleaded guilty to possessing a .177 calibre air rifle without holding a firearm certificate. The offences were committed on June 8 2022, when Workman transported a quantity of weapons and ammunition to the Glencairn area of Belfast in his van, which were then put into the boot of Irvine's Volkswagen Tiguan car. Ireland Gerry Adams to donate €100k to Irish language and... Read More A short time later, Irvine's vehicle was stopped by police in Disraeli Street. A long-barrelled firearm, two suspected pistols, several magazines and a large quantity of ammunition were discovered inside a bag in the boot. While the judge noted that UVF paraphernalia was found in the homes of both defendants, he did not consider that there was a terrorist link to the weapons.
Belfast Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
PSNI records lowest-ever number of anti-social behaviour reports across NI
Figures published by the PSNI have revealed details of crime incidents reported over the 12 months to March 31, 2025, including anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, hate-motivated crime and drug seizures. According to the figures there has been a decrease in crime in Northern Ireland. There were 8,233 fewer crime incidents in NI over the past 12 months, a 7.9% drop from 2023/24 – including reductions in violent offences, criminal damage and harassment. Anti-social behaviour reports were also recorded at their lowest since the data series began in 2006/7, with 1,004 less incidents reported. Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton praised the latest statistics, saying: 'These significant reductions demonstrate once again that not only is Northern Ireland one of the safest places to live, work and raise a family but also that the PSNI is a service that everyone here can be proud'. The Deputy Chief Constable also expressed his worry over declining police numbers. 'The continued contribution of our officers and staff to these reductions really shouldn't be under-estimated or taken for granted,' he said. "It's also important to recognise that whilst the overall number of crime and anti-social behaviour incidents has reduced, the work that goes into dealing with them is becoming increasingly complex and resource-intensive.' Despite a decrease in general crime, the PSNI have also revealed that last year saw the highest number of race hate crimes and incidents since records began. Official statistics show that there were 454 more race incidents and 349 more race crimes recorded in comparison to the previous year. There were 1,807 race incidents and 1,188 race crimes documented in the 12 months from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025 – the highest financial year levels recorded since the data series began in 2004/05. A spokesperson for the activism group, United Against Racism Belfast, told this newspaper that 'the statistics on hate crime in the past year are disturbing and infuriating'. "Attacks on migrant communities have become virulent, both online and on the streets of our shared city,' they added. "Deliberate disinformation and hate-mongering around immigration, including by the current government, strip the humanity of Black, minority ethnic, Muslim and migrant communities. "As a result, we have seen multiple attacks on people for no other reason but the colour of their skin, their language or their perceived immigration status.' "This must stop'.
Belfast Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
PSNI reports lowest ever number of anti-social behaviour reports across NI
Figures published by the PSNI have revealed details of crime incidents reported over the 12 months to March 31, 2025, including anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, hate-motivated crime and drug seizures. According to the figures there has been a decrease in crime in Northern Ireland. There were 8,233 fewer crime incidents in NI over the past 12 months, a 7.9% drop from 2023/24 – including reductions in violent offences, criminal damage and harassment. Anti-social behaviour reports were also recorded at their lowest since the data series began in 2006/7, with 1,004 less incidents reported. Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton praised the latest statistics, saying: 'These significant reductions demonstrate once again that not only is Northern Ireland one of the safest places to live, work and raise a family but also that the PSNI is a service that everyone here can be proud'. The Deputy Chief Constable also expressed his worry over declining police numbers. 'The continued contribution of our officers and staff to these reductions really shouldn't be under-estimated or taken for granted,' he said. "It's also important to recognise that whilst the overall number of crime and anti-social behaviour incidents has reduced, the work that goes into dealing with them is becoming increasingly complex and resource-intensive.' Despite a decrease in general crime, the PSNI have also revealed that last year saw the highest number of race hate crimes and incidents since records began. Official statistics show that there were 454 more race incidents and 349 more race crimes recorded in comparison to the previous year. There were 1,807 race incidents and 1,188 race crimes documented in the 12 months from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025 – the highest financial year levels recorded since the data series began in 2004/05. A spokesperson for the activism group, United Against Racism Belfast, told this newspaper that 'the statistics on hate crime in the past year are disturbing and infuriating'. "Attacks on migrant communities have become virulent, both online and on the streets of our shared city,' they added. "Deliberate disinformation and hate-mongering around immigration, including by the current government, strip the humanity of Black, minority ethnic, Muslim and migrant communities. "As a result, we have seen multiple attacks on people for no other reason but the colour of their skin, their language or their perceived immigration status.' "This must stop'.
