Debate contribution: Policing Resources

Debate contribution by Mr Doug Beattie MC on 25 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Doug Beattie MC

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

25 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Policing Resources

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5259186

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The protection and safeguarding of our citizens must be the main priority for the police, the Assembly and the Department of Justice. The findings of the Police Ombudsman regarding Alexander McCartney's online child sex offences are concerning and outline grave failings. The motion is right to outline the lack of police capacity and capability in that area, and that is a resource issue. The report also found that there were serious delays in the investigation due to the backlog in the PSNI cybercrime centre, which is where the police forensically interrogate electronic devices. Again, that is due to a lack of resource — funding — and it creates a direct risk to victims. There were other issues, the first of which is bail. The bail conditions given to that individual were weak. That man was still allowed to go online even though that is where he carried out all his abuse. The police carried out cursory checks only. I have seen some bail conditions that are absolutely scandalous. That is an area that needs to be looked at. Allowing him to go online during the investigation is staggering. The second issue is prioritisation. In 2018, at the heart of the investigation, the priorities were paramilitarism and serious organised crime as opposed to online child exploitation. Of course, paramilitarism and organised crime are extremely serious, but to prioritise them over online child exploitation is difficult to stand over. Of course, that is an operational matter for the PSNI and the cybercrime unit, but the strategic oversight still sits with the Chief Constable and the Department of Justice, with the latter giving policy direction. The PSNI has now moved to a threat, harm, risk, investigation, vulnerability and engagement (THRIVE) model to rectify disproportionate prioritisation of paramilitarism over child exploitation, but, yet again, the PSNI is unable to do that fully unless it gets the resource. Again, resource means funding, and the Minister has said that many times. On the wider implications of violence against women and girls, I share the motion's concerns and have raised them on multiple occasions. Remember that politicians are the legislators, the police are the investigators, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is the prosecutor and the courts give the verdict and sentences. I have genuine concerns — I know that the Minister will disagree with me — about how, in order to speed up justice, cases are going to the Magistrates' Court instead of the Crown Court. That is a particular issue for non-fatal strangulation cases, where victims are predominantly women and girls. In 2023-24, there were 344 cases of non-fatal strangulation, of which 329 went to the Magistrates' Court and only 15 went to the Crown Court. Of the total cases, only 20% resulted in a custodial sentence. That is not an issue for the Minister but for the courts and the PPS. However, it is worthwhile mentioning that. Our amendment brings a bit of reality to the issue of police resourcing and asks important questions. First, the money has not been made available for the workforce recovery plan, which was first agreed in June 2025, having been submitted in January 2025. We are already behind with our workforce recovery. Bearing in mind that about 300 to 400 —.

I just do not have time, Minister. Sorry. Bearing in mind that about 300 to 400 officers leave the service each year, we are down to 6,200 officers. Listen and remember this figure: only about 4,500 officers are deployable. That is all: 4,500 officers are deployable. How have we allowed that to happen? A lack of funding, a lack of prioritisation, a lack of scrutiny and a lack of strategic questions and honest answers. Police numbers continue to fall, so the simple question for the Minister is this: is the three-year target achievable? Is it still viable? If the answer is yes, the Minister can give us achievable measures. When will we hit 6,500 officers? When will we hit 6,750 officers? Alternatively, if the answer is no, which it may be at the moment, not because of any fault on the Minister's part but because we have not provided the resource, what will we do about it? Those are important questions, which is why I have added them as an amendment to this very important motion.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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