By Liam Kelly
Chair, Police Federation for Northern Ireland
Since the devolution of policing in 2010, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has not been funded sufficiently when compared with other public sector organisations, particularly in the health and education sectors.
In more recent years, the PSNI has continued to be elbowed out of the mix when it comes to receiving a realistic budget; it remains funded based off affordability rather than what it needs, leaving its men and women to shoulder the full weight of doing more with less.
Officers have been demonised for sick leave rates when a big part of their absence is down to a combination of burnout with being overworked, being assaulted and attacked, and not receiving timely and effective medical support for both physiological and psychological injuries.
They are regularly in the eye of the storm when response times to calls for help are delayed because we simply don’t have enough officers to do everything.
All the time, the PSNI are left to pick up the pieces when the stretched health service is unable to cope with vulnerable individuals.
We’ve become the ambulance service when there are no ambulances available. We’re effectively the ‘go to’ service when the vulnerable see no future for themselves, or threaten others.
This time last year we had 6,396 officers. We now sit 198 officers fewer at the frighteningly low number of 6,198 – a historic low that brings with it big questions about how we deliver services, who fights our corner, why no one is listening, and how bleak will the future be if this downward trend isn’t halted?
“We’re effectively the ‘go to’ service when the vulnerable see no future for themselves, or threaten others”
We know our government’s budget is finite. That said, we’re not seeking preferential treatment – just what’s fair and necessary.
The PSNI has more than evidenced that it needs some £200 million more over the next few years to enable the chief constable’s recovery plan to reach fruition and come close to re-building the PSNI to an operational figure of 7,000.
The Department of Finance approved the plan as having value for money but then, unbelievably, informed the chief constable that it cannot find the finances required to support the plan.
This is a slap in the face to our officers.
It’s also the abandonment by an elected administration whose solemn duty and responsibility is to safeguard the entire population and give us the tools to combat crime and terrorism, stamp out a multi-million pound drugs trade, deal with the people traffickers, investigate general crime, and make our roads safer.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has not been found wanting – he has done all in his power to convince, persuade, cajole and even embarrass our administration to provide him with the finances he requires to do the job.
This federation has been, and will continue to be, alongside Boutcher as we collaboratively fight our corner for sustainable funding.
Recruitment requires a hefty financial commitment. And it’s here I have grave concerns.
The stark truth is that without the finances in place we will fail to reach the 7,000 officer mark by 2028. In fact, in the absence of proper funding, we’ll be fortunate to see even small growth.
This is ruinous for policing.
Our government urgently needs to change course and recognise the desperate need for positive intervention before there is any further shocking damage done to our police service.
PSNI is at breaking point and we need a lifeline – a realistic financial settlement.
Public disorder broke out in June, resulting in 80 Police Scotland officers having to be deployed to support us under mutual aid provisions.
This federation is most grateful to them for volunteering to come to our aid as almost 90 of our officers were injured during the disturbances.
This provided a timely backdrop to launch the federation’s latest public campaign in June.
Entitled ‘Let Them Protect’, the campaign did not happen specifically because of the public disorder and attacks on PSNI officers in the preceding few weeks.
In 2024/2025 there were 2,810 recorded assaults on police officers; 881 of these involved injury. Between 2017 and 2024, the recorded figures shockingly show an average of nine assaults every day on officers (63 per week).
This is actually a conservative figure as we know that there are many officers who suffer minor or no injuries who elect to not formally report them.
We want the public to get behind us and support this federation’s call for our courts to take a much tougher approach against those who assault and attack our officers.
Decisive and tough sentences need to be handed down by magistrates and judges to effectively punish offenders. Sentencing guidelines must be strengthened to empower the courts and implement effective deterrents.
Like our Scottish colleagues, the devolution of policing and the associated changes have been detrimental to police budgets, resources and ultimately the police service we can provide to our respective nations.
Policing via the lens of affordability rather than actual need is a recipe for disaster.
Our governments urgently need to change course to avoid any further shocking and potentially irreversible damage done to our respective police services.