Officers ‘delivering a policing miracle’ with current numbers, says PSNI chief constable

In his latest accountability report to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Jon Boutcher QPM said he has “continually outlined the challenges of delivering policing services in the face of a crippling funding position”.

“Officer numbers remain significantly below what is required for safe and effective delivery,” Mr Boutcher said. “Legacy costs totalling over £20 million annually continue to be absorbed from core budgets, directly reducing our ability to invest in neighbourhood policing, response capability, and specialist functions.

“While short-term interventions have been welcome, they cannot substitute for a long-term, sustainable resourcing model and it goes without question that this will have an impact on victims, the community and the workforce.”

He added: “In an interesting comparison, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) faced huge criticism in 2020 that caused the force to be placed into what is commonly referred to as ‘special measures’ due to its ineffective delivery of policing services.

“At that time the organisation had circa 6,400 officers which was dangerously below what was required.

“Recognising the risk to communities, recent investment in the force has resulted in the police officer headcount increasing to some 8,300 officers today and the force moving out of monitoring with more confidence in policing being reflected in local communities.

“Why should the communities in Greater Manchester receive better policing support than the communities of Northern Ireland, where it is universally accepted policing issues are more complex and have the unique challenges presented by a post conflict society.

Mr Boutcher said the unacceptable violence witnessed during this summer’s disorder, which saw 107 police officers assaulted, also reflected “the unique challenges the PSNI faces compared with other police services”.

“Despite all of these pressures facing policing inNorthern Ireland, I remain inspired every day by the courage, professionalism, and dedication of officers and staff across the organisation,” he said.

“They come to work each day and respond to incidents and face experiences that most people will never encounter in their lifetime. Whether policing major events, responding to critical incidents, supporting victims, or strengthening community trust, all against a unique national security backdrop of a dissident republican threat, our incredible officers and staff continue to demonstrate the very best there is of public service.

“It goes without saying that I am proud to be their chief constable.”

Mr Boutcher said notwithstanding the lack of support from a funding perspective, “the PSNI remains hugely respected globally, nationally and locally”.

“In my humble opinion the men and women of the PSNI with the current numbers are delivering a policing miracle,” he said.

“I remain focused on getting political figures to deliver on undertakings made to support the PSNI recovery business plan returning us initially to 7,000 officers (still considerably below what is required) during the October finance monitoring round.”