Debate contribution: Justice Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Emma Sheerin on 9 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Emma Sheerin

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

9 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Justice Bill: Consideration Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5601645

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I will speak on the group 4 amendments that Sinn Féin will support, and I thank the Minister and her party colleagues for the work on them. We all acknowledge that there are massive problems with the structure and accountability of existing PSNI disciplinary procedures. The problems are not just historical but are reflected in recent media coverage and reports that have had negative implications for public confidence in policing. My colleague Linda Dillon, who represents our party on the Policing Board and has spoken about the issues for a number of years, will talk about that in more detail. The recent Langdale review found that there was:

"clear evidence of sexism and misogyny within the PSNI".

The review into the murder of Katie Simpson found institutional misogyny in the PSNI. We have seen a case in which the lies and testimony of a known abuser, who had previously been convicted, were believed, and we know the ramifications of that across society for confidence in policing. We have also had a report by the Police Ombudsman's chief executive that found that PSNI officers had abused their position to gain sexual favours. None of those things is acceptable in a modern society, and they have to be addressed. The Police Ombudsman has called for new, fast-tracking disciplinary powers that can be used when it is obvious that there has been misconduct. We cannot have the current situation whereby police officers can be suspended indefinitely, remain on full pay for years at a time and then retire or resign before allegations are brought to light. That gives them a protection that is not deserved. In exchanges with DUP representatives on the Justice Committee, we have had a conversation about the fact that police officers are charged with a heavy responsibility and duty in society, which means that they should be held to a standard and do not have the right to implement the law when they break the law. That is important, and we have to bear it in mind. Our justice system is underfunded and is slow because of that. That means that criminal investigations are often held up longer than they should be. It is not acceptable that police disciplinary processes cannot begin until criminal proceedings have concluded. We therefore welcome the amendments that allow the Police Ombudsman to submit a report for disciplinary procedures during an investigation when the evidence suggests that there has been wrongdoing, as well as the amendment that will allow police officers to be investigated during a criminal investigation where it looks as if there has been wrongdoing. We also welcome the creation of police barred and advisory lists, because somebody who is found to have broken the law cannot be responsible for implementing the law. I welcome all the amendments.

466 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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